Forever Your Guardian
by JZ65
Summary: When you're utterly alone, you learn a lot about what is truly important. But when the love of Tatsuki's life re-enters her life she has to choose. A chance at happiness and love or her job? Not all decisions are as easy as they seem... Tatsuki/Orihime AU
1. Death is Easy

**Alright so I've had this stuck in my head for a while now and I am having extreme trouble in writing for my other stories with this constantly playing out in my head. So i've decided to just go with it and see how it goes. This takes place sometime after Ichigo has to go save Orihime. It doesn't follow the plot line strongly, more of goes off on its own story. This is about Tatsuki x Orihime. Don't like it than please don't waste both our time? Thanks for reading and please read and review. The reviews will determine the speed of update (yes... it is kinda blackmail).**

**I don't Own Bleach**

**-JZ**

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The service was long and touching, but Tatsuki didn't pay any attention. She hardly said anything except "Thank you" and "Fine" all day. She felt a hole inside her soul, and that hole was lined with anger and pain. When she finally stood there, in the grim misty sleet of the early winter, she could only watch them lower two caskets deep into the ground. When the priest asked her if she would like to say some parting words, she shook her head. She had nothing to say. She couldn't ask for forgiveness, nor did she have the right to.

"Tatsuki, you're going to catch a cold. You should go back home." Chizuru told her lightly. The two girls didn't have much in common and fought constantly, but the fighting was just their form of bonding. At least that is what Chizuru told herself.

"I'm fine. I'd like to be alone." Tatsuki told her numbly, not even glancing at the warm hand resting on her shoulder.

"Did you call Orihime? I know she is at her Great Aunt's house or something, but I think you should give her a call…" Chizuru attempted one last time. The only person Tatsuki was ever really gentle with was Orihime.

"Just… leave Chizuru. I know you are trying to help, but I don't want it." Tatsuki said lifelessly, staring into the two holes, watching them being filled slowly.

"Alright…" Chizuru whispered to herself and started to walk to her parent's car. She thought about giving Tatsuki her umbrella, but the other girl had already denied it several times.

Finally Tatsuki was alone to watch the men bury her parents. It didn't seem real. Just two days ago, she was coming home from Karate and now this. Her whole life had been flipped upside down. After an hour, the men had finished with the grave and shot her sympathetic glances. She paid no attention to them as they offered their own prayers and walked away.

Completely alone. No one to go to the house with. No one waiting for her. No one to even miss her. She couldn't stand any longer. She sank to her knees, staring at the fresh dirt. She was numb all over, the sleet quickly soaked her clothes. The only possible sign of tears though, were ice crystals stuck to her eyelashes. She couldn't cry, she didn't have the right to mourn. She had caused their death. It sickened her, to know exactly how they had died. The police report would say "Break in gone wrong" but she knew that that was only part true. It wasn't a robber trying to steal money; no, it was a robber stealing something far more valuable… souls.

The skull-monster thing had killed both her parents as she came home. It was looking for her, had sensed her "spiritual pressure" or whatever, the point was… it was after her. The thing told her that it just got so hungry that it couldn't wait any longer. It bragged about how their souls were now thrown into torment for forever. All because of her.

"You know, as much fun as it is to watch someone act so pathetic… I am kinda gettin' sick of it." A guy said, sitting on her mother's tombstone, feet perched on her father's stone. She felt anger burst inside her and she clenched her hands into fists.

"Get the hell away from them!" Tatsuki yelled, voice cracking from lack of use. She jumped off her knees, forgetting everything except the sting of rage. "If you don't get away from them, I'm going to rip your throat out!"

"Really?" He laughed. Suddenly he appeared behind her. "You are letting your anger take control of you. Are you aware of that Tatsuki?" She immediately threw an expert punch at his face, but he simply moved his head six inches to the left at lightning fast speed.

"Who the hell are you?" She growled out, deciding to control herself.

"I'm Zac Crelltic." He told her, offering a slight nod towards the graves. "Your parents… it is a shame."

"Yeah…" Tatsuki mumbled, looking away.

"It wasn't a robbery." He told her confidently. Her gaze snapped back to his face, searching for a sign of... well, she didn't know what she was looking for.

"How do you know that?" She hissed, and then clenched her teeth together. He cocked his head to the side, and before she could react, he had a sword posed at her throat.

"Easy… Because I was the one that killed the Hollow." He informed her detachedly, softening the grip on his sword.

"You bastard…" She growled, infuriated. She pushed the sword aside and went after him, fists flying. She threw every combination of moves at him, but he just continued to dodge her. After a couple of minutes, Tatsuki was panting but still attacking him. He had become tired and snatched the collar of her coat with one calloused hand.

"Listen here, I saved you. You should be thanking me." He said darkly, lifting her a foot off the ground.

"Well thanks." She spat out sarcastically. "I am just so damn happy you decided to save me, because I have SO much to look forward to."

"Did you know that Hollow was after you?" He asked, still holding her in the air. "Did you?" He shook her slightly.

"Yeah, the nice bitch told me so." She shot back as strongly as she could; oxygen had begun to cause her a problem. Mainly because she was lacking the much needed gas.

"Do you know why?"

"Because of my spiritual pressure crap. Now let me go!" He dropped her, but she landed on her feet… unsteadily. He seemed impressed.

"It's because you're strength that it came after you. I am just confused as to why you didn't take care of it yourself. What? You can't tell me that that weakling was really stronger than you?" He taunted, trying to get actual information out of the girl.

"What are you talking about? My strength is kicking HUMAN'S asses in the REAL world." She emphasized.

"When I was here last, I sensed others that had strong spiritual pressure. Are you telling me that they just 'left' you?" He questioned skeptically, not believing that this girl didn't have any clue what was going on.

"I…" Tatsuki thought of Orihime, Ichigo, Chad, Rukia, even the sewing guy… They must have all had that spiritual pressure thing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you're lying." He told her calmly. "I know you are lying the same way you know I'm telling you the truth."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Simple, we are the same." He said driving his sword into the ground. Tatsuki looked it over; the hilt and blade were covered in weird inscriptions. Tatsuki thought back hard, remembering something vague she had heard from the hat and clogs guy…

"Soul Reapers?" She questioned, confused. Zac busted into chuckles, causing Tatsuki to become annoyed. "Well?"

"No." He said, coming down from his laughing high. Really? A soul reaper? That would just be stupid. "We are not soul reapers, haha… I am a Guardian, and you… aren't one yet."

"Guardian? What the hell is a Guardian?" She was befuddled now, unsure whether to be mad at the ridiculousness, or mad at the sense it made. Either way, Zac was right, she did trust him.

"A Guardian is before the time of Soul Reapers. A long time ago, we were assigned Charges. We would protect them with our life and we still do, but we are few and far between now. After Soul Reapers came into the picture, we were hunted down. They didn't believe that other worldly powers should be used to protect humans." His voice betrayed his own anger. His eyes were distant as memories clouded her voice. "So now we have to do our job in secret. We are stronger than them though." He said with assurance.

"How could you guys be stronger if you got hunted down to near extinction?" Tatsuki questioned, even more confused now than before.

"It wasn't just Soul Reapers that thought we should be eliminated. The Hollows, Quincy, even some of the first Arrancar saw us as a threat. And we were ordered not to attack." He said quickly. Tatsuki shot him a look.

"Do I really have to ask? Fine I will… Why were you order to not attack?" She huffed out, tired of the twisting conversation.

"If we were to go to war, we would leave our Charges unprotected." He told her solidly.

"Okay, I got it. Guardians protect their Charges. What does that have to do with me?" She grumbled. He laughed at her oversimplification.

"You are a Pre-Guardian. You can choose to be a Guardian if you wish." Tatsuki thought about it. A Guardian could kill those Hollow things, a Guardian could beat the living daylights out of Ichigo, a Guardian, she bet, could even protect Orihime.

"How do I become one?" She demanded, conviction evident in her voice. He gave her a sideways grin.

"That's the easy part." Zac leaned in closer. "All you have to do, is die."

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**Next chapter is in the proccess of being written. Please review or PM me and it will be updated QUICKER! Thanks for reading**

**-JZ**


	2. Living is Hard

**Okay, I figured that maybe more people would read it if I gave them more than just a Prologue? So tell me how I did... PLZ? **

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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"I have to die?" Tatsuki shook her head violently, attempting to dispel her confusion. "Then why didn't you just let me die?"

"Because, you have to die by your own sword. And if you are going to become a Guardian, then I will have to be your mentor. Got that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He was expecting a question to pop up any time now.

"My mentor? Yeah riiiight… What are you? 19?" She laughed out, not sure what the guy could teach her that she couldn't learn on her own.

"I'm actually in my early six hundreds, but I died when I was 19." He reprimanded her harshly. She quieted down, sensing it was a tough subject.

"Alright, sorry." She apologized. "So my sword thingy… how do I get it?"

"I think that before you go on and get yourself killed, you should close some loose ends." He told her, motioning to the umbrella that was left next to a grave. She recognized it as Chizuru's.

"Why? If I'm going to die, just make it seem like an accident or something." She was confused as to why she would give away that she knew she was going to die.

"You are going to die, but no one else is going to find out. I don't want your Soul Reaper friends hunting us down. No, you will return to school, but you are going to have to get rid of the people that are here that care about you. I don't want any distractions while I'm training you." Zac explained, putting his sword in his sheath after wiping the dirt from it.

"So Ichigo is a Soul Reaper. That bastard! I swear… The moment I find him, I will kill him." She felt a pit of hate in her stomach. Ichigo left her there, defenseless against the real monster's in the dark. "That bastard didn't even warn me!"

"The Kurosaki boy? Yes, I believe that he is in Hueco Mundo attempting to retrieve a certain Inoue girl." Zac said off-handedly. He knew that Tatsuki knew both Ichigo and Orihime, but he knew that Tatsuki needed a motivation. Also, the Soul Reaper did leave his "friend" to be attacked. If anyone had seen the power within Tatsuki, they would have certainly tried to train the girl. Zac himself was slightly bewildered by the dormant strength. "Perhaps this Ichigo character knew that you had potential? He might have been worried that you could have save Inoue yourself. Then he wouldn't be able to play superman anymore." Zac suggested. Tatsuki looked mortified by the idea.

"No… he wouldn't… he…" She couldn't think of a for sure way that would pardon Ichigo. "Screw you."

"Hey, not everyone is what you think they are." He informed her, earning a glare.

"So… I just die then… what?"

"Training to be a Guardian is like training to become a Soul Reaper." He said to her, then paused and busted out laughing. "No, I'm joking. It is unbelievably more difficult and excruciatingly painful. But you will be strong. That much I can guarantee." He muttered something else under his breath.

"What was that?" Tatsuki asked.

"I said that as long as you survive, then you will be stronger." His face turned dark. "You don't understand the consequences of becoming a Guardian, do you?"

"You said that I'm already one, right? So it doesn't matter."

"No, I said that you could be one. If you die, you lose your soul. You don't move on to the Soul Society, you don't go through Hell's Gate, you just die. And if your body can survive, then you live forever without a soul." He warned her. "You always have a choice. Whether you become a Guardian or not, that is your decision. I can't force you, and you must realize that you are giving up a chance at a normal life."

"Normal? My parents died in front of me because I was weak. My Orihime… I mean, my best friend was taken away and I can't do anything, because I am WEAK. My friend doesn't even tell me what is going on in the dark because he thinks I'm too damn WEAK! I'm not. I don't have anything else." She whispered the last part. The last few days came crashing back to her. Her parent's death, now… she had an escape. A way to protect someone she cares about deeply.

"Fine. I suggest that you prepare for school tomorrow. You must start soon, before more Hollows come after your Spiritual Pressure." He picked up a flower from a bouquet of white roses and looked back to her. "End your friendships; it is a dangerous road you will be on. Just call me when you're ready." And with that, he tossed the rose between the two fresh graves and disappeared.

Tatsuki grabbed the umbrella and started for her house. She didn't use the umbrella, but reveled in the numb feeling all over her body. The cold was no longer cold. The hole was no longer a hole. It was an empty cave, something that she would cover so it would remain hidden from the world. Her sorrow was no one else's business, nor their concern. Her pain was her's. Her hate was her's as well.

"When I see you Ichigo, I'm going to destroy you." She vowed. But something still bothered her. Ichigo didn't tell her about this secret world, sure, but Orihime? She thought that the orange haired girl trusted her enough to let Tatsuki protect her, but apparently not.

When she arrived at the empty house, she avoided the living room. It was covered in blood smudges where someone tried to scrub away the red liquid. The problem was, red always stained white. Tatsuki took a cold shower, but it oddly warmed her up after the freezing sleet outside. It was odd, she thought, how after the service people just expected her to move on. Clad in black cargo pants and white shirt, she went to work out in her room. She spent nearly all her time doing sit ups, pushups, pull ups, weight lifting… That she had hardly noticed it was 11:19. With a sigh, she heated up a TV dinner and sat down at the dinner table in silence. She remembered that ever since Orihime disappeared, she hadn't eaten with her parents ever (even when they were home), she was always too busy working out or studying (mainly working out). Now she regretted it. It wasn't that her parents ignored her, it was just that they had better things to do than entertain their teenage daughter. Their jobs were important to both of them, so she often spent time alone… or with Orihime. Tatsuki fell asleep at the table, signing some insurance letters.

She woke up at five and made herself some breakfast, another TV dinner. It must have been about one when she fell asleep, but she wasn't tired anymore. The images in her mind had made sleeping for long periods of time impossible. Sighing heavily, she finished the letters and bills, and then got dressed in white cargo pants (rolled up to her shin) and a white shirt with a black dragon on it. Finally she decided that an over shirt would also be acceptable, so she threw on a black one. She looked like she was begging for a fight as she topped everything off with a white beanie and black watch.

"Time to become Tatsuki the Loner…" She muttered to herself and grabbed her bag. She walked to school, naturally always going by Orihime's house. It was out of the way, but she almost didn't know how to get to school without stopping their first. As she arrived at school, she noticed Chizuru standing around, ogling at a girl's chest. When she noticed Tatsuki, she expected to be beaten upside the head. Instead, the normally quick tempered girl gave her a steely glance and shook her head, indicating that if Chizuru continued, she would be in more trouble than normal. Oddly, Chizuru felt a chill down her spine. That look in Tatsuki's eyes made her worried. It was masked of all emotion and only reflected her warning.

Michiru saw Tatsuki walk by. She also saw the silent conversation passed between Tatsuki and Chizuru. Of course Chizuru was her friend, but her constant sexually charged actions were always what made Michiru happy to see Tatsuki. The girl always protected her and Orihime from Chizuru. Michiru felt a stab of sympathy for Tatsuki. She hadn't known any better than the rest of them why Orihime just left for her Great Aunt's all of a sudden and even though she wouldn't admit it, everyone could tell that it must have hurt Tatsuki.

"Hey Chizuru, I'm going to go talk to Tatsuki, are you coming?" Chizuru shook her head a little too quickly.

"Uh… N-no, I've gotta'… uh… leave for class early." And Chizuru ran away. Michiru was confused, the school lesbian was never openly afraid of Tatsuki. This made Michiru even more worried than before. She walked over to Tatsuki, who in the mean time, had turned on her IPod.

"Tatsuki. Tatsuki. Tatsuki!" She yelled a little louder, but the girl showed no signs of hearing her. Sighing, she took the headphones out of Tatsuki's ears.

"Hey, what the…?" Tatsuki growled and searched for the person that had the nerve of taking her headphones out. "Oh, Michiru… I didn't notice you." No I did notice you at first but I figured that you would go away if I looked like I wasn't paying attention, Tatsuki thought to herself.

"Hey Tatsuki, I was just wondering how you were. Why are you at school? You really shouldn't come back so soon after…" Michiru stopped when she noticed how rigid Tatsuki had become.

"I'm fine Michiru." Tatsuki says harshly, eyes darting away from the hurt look in Michiru's eyes.

"Okay…" Michiru whispers softly, then smiles a little. "Come on, let's go meet up with Chizuru, Ryo, and Mahana, okay?"

"You go on; I'm going to stay out here." Tatsuki answers coldly, watching Michiru's shoulders slump in defeat out of the corner of her eye.

"Okay Tatsuki…" Michiru said and left. A few minutes passed, Tatsuki just sat at the bench and listened to her IPod.

"You're going to have to try harder than that." A familiar voice floated into her ears. Hastily she pressed the pause button and saw Zac standing in front of her, his sword swaying beside him.

"What are you thinking! Someone will see you." She hissed under her breath. He laughed in response.

"No, only those that can see spirits can see me." He chuckled a little more, but Tatsuki relaxed slightly.

"Why are you here anyway?" She bristled a little, wondering if he was going back on their deal.

"I've been watching how you're handling your friends, and I have to say that it is pretty pathetic." He stated smugly. "They aren't going to leave you alone until you make them. How are you going to make them?"

"I don't know…" She stares at her feet, at a loss for how to quickly push them away.

"Make them hate you." He suggested simply.

"No, I don't want them to hate me. I—"

"You're going to die. You realize that right? So all you are going to do is train here, and then you will probably disappear. These people can't mean anything to you. What happens when one of them comes over while you are training, or worse! What if they get attacked because a Hollow sensed your spiritual pressure near them?" Zac yelled at her, frustrated by her indecision. The truth hit Tatsuki like a ton of bricks.

"You're right… I know what I have to do now." Her voice was dark, detached. Her eyes became masked yet again, and didn't show any sign of emotions.

Tatsuki heard the warning bell go off and headed to class. It went by painfully slow. But eventually it did end. The determination in Tatsuki was written all over her face, she was ready to make them hate her. The only way to do that was to hurt someone that meant a lot to everyone. To hurt the person that was always cheerful and kind, no matter who he was talking to. She found him talking to Keigo at the park by the school. All the girls were sitting under a tree, talking about something irrelevant, she was sure.

"Hey Mizuiro!"Tatsuki yelled at him as she jogged up to him.

"Hello Tatsuki, how are you?" He asked, genuine concern laced his voice.

"Shut it." Tatsuki lifted a fist and unleashed it on Mizuiro's face. He fell back to the ground and grabbed his face.

"Tatsuki! What the hell are you doing?" Keigo screamed at her. When he came up too close, she punched him straight in the stomach. Tears filled his eyes and he fell beside Mizuiro.

"Back off. I want you to make sure you give Ichigo a message when you see him." She growled coldly, completely masking the pain it was causing her. All she showed was hate. "Tell him that the next time I see him, it will be him on the ground crying."

"I'm n-not crying!" Keigo denied, wiping a tear from his face.

"I can change that!" Tatsuki spat back at him. He flinched away and Mizuiro went to stand.

"Tatsuki, is this entirely necessary? I haven't seen Ichigo in a long time. He left to visit relatives, you know that. If this is because of your parents—" He was cut off.

"Mizuiro, shut up. Or that black eye will be the least of your problems. I don't want to talk about my "feelings." I am just warning you. Come near me, and I will do worse than just hurt you." Mizuiro gulped, seeing the seriousness of the situation. He was afraid, completely afraid. Tatsuki saw Michiru and Mahana gape at her. Those two were the only ones she really needed to convince.

"Okay…" Mizuiro squeaked, tears filling his own eyes because of fear.

"Good." Tatsuki whispered in his ear and punched him, much lighter than before, in the stomach. Mizuiro still landed beside Keigo, but it didn't hurt as bad. Tatsuki started to walk towards the group of girls and Chizuru immediately hid behind Michiru. Ryo set her book down and Michiru still looked shocked at what just happened.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Mahana asked, earning a nudge from Ryo. "What? You're all thinking it!"

"Shut up Mahana." Ryo said quietly.

"Chizuru, what are you hiding for?" Tatsuki asked mockingly, forcing a smirk to play at her lips. "I haven't done anything… yet." Chizuru yelped and that seemed to knock Michiru back into reality.

"TATSUKI ARISAWA! I don't even want to see you until you apologize to Keigo and Mizuiro! Do you got that? And don't even think about beating up Chizuru. Unless you are going to apologize, I recommend that you just go home!" Michiru screeched at Tatsuki, surprising her slightly. She had never heard the shy girl so mad before. But that's good, Tatsuki thought to herself.

"I'm not going to apologize." Tatsuki said firmly, taking another step towards Chizuru.

"Then just… just… LEAVE!" Michiru yelled and slapped Tatsuki across the face, leaving a red mark. Tatsuki could have dodged it, but she knew that it was the least she deserved. Without so much as a goodbye, the wounded soldier about-faced and headed back to her house.

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**Alrighty, next Chapter will involve her becoming a Guardian. Hope you will leave me a review or PM? I will update faster... **

**-JZ**


	3. All You Got

**Alright! Hope you like this Chapter! Please leave a review? I have only had ONE brave soul do it so far. Read and REVIEW plz. Thank you**

**I don't own Bleach**

**-JZ**

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She opened the door slowly, half expecting to hear someone yelling that dinner was done an hour ago, but no one yelled. No one greeted her by the door, questioned her about her day, or scolded her for putting Karate above grades yet again. All that was left was the light dust that had settled on the stove, television, even the hallway to her parents' bedroom. She dreaded spending yet another night in the cold, tomblike house. It was no longer a "home"; that title had died with her parents. The building was plainly a house, a piece of architecture created for the sole purpose to protect the inhabitants from the elements. She tossed her bag to the side, somewhere between the couch and door, and stumbled to the dining table perfunctorily.

"Tired already?" Zac mocked, snickering from his position by the front door. "We could always skip it for another day?"

"No. We are doing this now." Tatsuki confirmed stoically. "And how do you keep popping up everywhere?"

"You weren't startled when you first heard me. How did you know I was going to be there?" He asked, forcing her think.

"I don't know. I guess my Karate training has just made me really good at detecting people's presences." She shrugged her shoulders, turning to look at him.

"You can sense me. Stronger than most other people I'm guessing also." He thought deeply for a moment. "I believe it has something to do with the fact that we both have the same "blood" inside us. The blood of a Guardian. It is in you, whether or not you decide to use it."

"I already said I was going to use it. Stop making me sound like an ungrateful child." She growled at him, narrowing her eyes, daring him to speak against her.

"You know, I'm going to have so much fun breaking you in half." He taunted, throwing his head back in a deep guffaw. "So are we going to begin soon?" He egged her on, shoving a smirk across his cocky face.

"Sure, I can take you." Any fear she could have had was gone, she was ready to fight him. She wanted to fight him, strived to feel the thrill of a scuffle.

"Follow me." He said with a smile and started to saunter down a dusty hallway. Tatsuki stood stalk still, unable to Will herself towards the door. Her skin crawled, but she followed behind Zac after a moment's hesitation. The photos on the wall were filled with laughs and cherished memories… They were nothing to her anymore, just a reminder of a past life, of something that no matter how hard she scrubbed… the grim would never really leave.

Tatsuki studied Zac intently as he stopped at the end of the hall, and slowly put his hand on the bronze knob that had once opened to her parent's bedroom. He paused, hand firmly gripping the metal, knuckles beginning to turn white. He turned his head partially over his shoulder, glancing back at her but only the side of his face could be seen, the other side cast under a dark shadow.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked patiently. Tatsuki nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from the knob that would determine her future. "Alright then, no turning back." With that he finally turned the little bronze handle and swung the door ajar. Tatsuki stood agape at the sight. The door no longer led to a stuffy unused room; no, it led to an open space. A huge landscape stretched in front of her, full of snow and prairies, mountains and deserts. In the distance she could see a forest and a glassy lake. The only flaw to this perfect design was the shades of grey this new world was covered in. The grass was a medium grey, while the lake was a dark black. The snow was an utterly pristine white; the mountains housed many different shades, from white to complete blackness.

Zac stepped inside the world. He walked upon nothing, perhaps a path of air? She couldn't understand it. The new world was so full, yet empty. Tatsuki could see Zac's breath when he exhaled, it gave of a frosty silver shadow. The world looked cold and dark, but the man didn't shiver or show any signs that he notices the darkness.

"Are you coming or not?" He sounded on edge, his voice a bit sharper than normal.

"Y-yeah…" Tatsuki shuffled up to the entrance and peered over the side. It looked a long way down, at least a hundred yards. "Uh, how do I… you know… fly?"

"Figure it out, Bigshot." He challenged, waving a hand in the air. She took a few steps backwards, then ran and jumped from just inside the door. She had hoped that someway her inner power would kick in, save her from certain death, but that only happens in the movies. Nope, no amazing grace… She just fell. She fell for what seemed like hours, but had gone by too quickly as she saw the ground getting closer. She had even hoped that Zac would possibly save her from a broken neck, but he just stood there, watching. When she landed, it wasn't on her feet, nor was it her head. She just landed on her stomach. Tatsuki recalled one time when she belly flopped into a swimming pool remembered the stinging on her abdomen and limbs. That did not even compare with the agony she felt now.

"Fuck…" She wheezed out, unable to move. Too much pain coursed through her body.

"Nice take off, bad landing." Zac chuckled, softly landing on the snow a few feet from her.

"Dick…" Tatsuki growled at him, still attempting to catch her breath.

"What? You jumped!"

"You told me to!" She shot back at him, finally sitting up.

"I told you to figure it out, not to jump." He stated calmly. "But I guess you're down here now… rather unconventionally though…"

"Can we just get on with it." She sighed, dusting the snow off herself rigidly.

"Alright then, see ya." He gave a half wave and somehow flashed up just outside of the door. Tatsuki scanned around frantically for the man that was supposedly deemed her "mentor."

"Aren't you intended to be training me?" She yelled up at him, flailing her arms around her at the landscape.

"First you've got to die! Have fun with that!" He shouted back at her and took the final step outside the room. With a last wave, he slammed the door. After he closed the door (in the outside world) he opened it again to check it. Yup, won't open until she either becomes a Guardian or dies trying, he reminded himself.

"Good luck." He whispered and closed the door again. He waltzed over to the couch and turned the television on. "I love this show!"

(back with Tatsuki)

"How could he just leave me! Damn, he could have given me a freaking flashlight or something!" She ranted. She began to pace around the perimeter, looking for a sign of something to do. Tatsuki couldn't see very well, vision perturbed by darkness, but she could hear. And she was hearing the sound of sobbing. It wasn't far away. She followed her ears and ran towards the sorrowful sound. It was familiar, like she had heard it before. As she had gotten closer, she could make out an image of a person on the ground, crying. She continued to get closer, and could finally tell who it was.

"Orihime?" She whispered, the name barely escaping her lips. She couldn't believe it, the girl she cared for so deeply was groveling on the cold damp ground. "Orihime!" The saddened girl flinched and tried to crawl away. "Orihime what's wro—" Tatsuki felt hot nails rip through her right arm.

Tatsuki turned around and met the gaze of an unknown opponent. They wore a white scarf wrapped around their eyes, effectively blinding them. They bore strong muscles, lean and toned. The appearance took her back slightly. This person wore a white tank top, covered by a matte black jacket, the short collar popped. The jeans were an impossible mixture of dark blue and black at the bottom, but they were baggy and were held up sideways by a loose belt. The belt strap hung down to the person's knee and swayed carelessly in the breeze. The belt itself was steel, matching the steel sword necklace they wore. The boots were black leather work boots, obviously steel-toed.

But the most noticeable accessory was the thin white sword and open-fingered armored gloves. The weapon screamed malevolence and certain death. Tatsuki instinctively took a step back from the terrifying creature. She could see a small smirk creep across the person's face.

"What do we have here?" The person inquired, the voice rough but obviously feminine. Tatsuki wanted to flinch back again, but steeled herself with an iron gaze.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tatsuki yelled up at the girl, rage building within her muscles. She caught a glimpse of Orihime still inching toward the cover of a massive boulder nearby.

"I'm trying to play with my favorite toy, but YOU are getting in my way." The girl joked, wielding her sword within the stronghold of her left hand.

"Leave her alone. She hasn't done anything to you!" Tatsuki defended, throwing a hand to her side, as if protecting Orihime. "If you don't leave her alone, we are going to have some problems."

"Really? What are you going to do?" The girl howled, voice oozing with amusement. Then… all hell broke loose.

The girl flashed just to the side of Tatsuki and kicked Tatsuki in the gut. She flew, her body reaching velocities she didn't realize were possible, but before she could even think about the pain inside her, she felt strong hands lifting her up into the air and slamming her into the ground. Blood spewed from Tatsuki's mouth, bursting from her mouth like a fountain. She knew that her ribs were broken… shattered most likely, and she also was aware that the pain she was feeling was that of a fatal injury.

"Pathetic… weak. This is actually sickening to watch." The girl shook her head slowly in disappointment. She had expected a better fight. "I'm done wasting time on you."

The girl disregarded Tatsuki completely and started to stalk over to Orihime, much like a panther stalking its unsuspecting prey. Snow crunched underneath the heavy boots, leaving footprints in the white world. Tatsuki was enraged, but not even her fury could force her body to obey her commands. She watched the girl get closer to Orihime… Then the girl lifted her left arm high, sword glistening off the snowflakes, and posed to kill the defenseless Orihime.

"N…no… Orih—hime…" Tatsuki choked out, more blood sprouting up with each syllable. The fear in the orange haired girl's eyes haunted Tatsuki, and when she saw the girl about to strike Orihime, arm already moving into a finishing stab, something snapped in Tatsuki.

"ORIHIME!" Tatsuki hollered, suddenly in front of the trembling girl. Tatsuki saw the blade, saw its path as if it was in slow motion, but she couldn't bring herself to step aside. She couldn't let Orihime die. The blade sliced through; creating a small wet towel sound as it tore from her abdomen up and out of the upper back of her body. The agony burned within her, but Tatsuki couldn't care less. She had saved Orihime… that was all that was important. Looks like I'm not cut out to be a Guardian, Tatsuki thought.

"Fuck…you…" The girl choked, using one hand to hold her gut. Thick red liquid began to bubble up her throat, onto the colorless snow, and dribbled out through her tank top, staining it. Both Tatsuki and the girl sank to their knees at the same time. The girl reached a shaky hand and pulled off the blind fold.

Tatsuki wanted to gasp as she found herself gazing into a mirror. The girl had identical features as her, except she had even FINER toned muscles… which was difficult. Tatsuki gazed into the eyes of her counterpart and saw a power she didn't know existed. A strength, smoothness, skill that, Tatsuki herself, had been lacking. When Tatsuki reached up and settled her right hand on the girl's shoulder, the girl had mirrored her movements simultaneously. They stared into each other's pupils for a long time, searching for some unknown truth to make everything right in the world again. They searched for answers that weren't there. The pain was not forgotten, and a lightening spasm struck them both. Their hearts stopped beating, they stopped breathing, they stopped searching… Everything just stopped. Then, they both fell forward, except Tatsuki fell into her parent's bedroom, and the girl fell into Tatsuki.

"You alive in there?" Tatsuki heard Zac say through the closed door. She felt stiff and old, but a new strength course throughout her veins.

"Nope, I think I'm dead." Tatsuki told him, stand up and patting the dust off. She took her pulse… nothing. "Damn, I am dead."

"Good that means that you passed your first test!" Zac congratulated her, throwing the door ajar and giving her a confident nod. "Hurt?"

"Hell yes!" Tatsuki yowled, twitching whenever she put strain on her abdomen. She heard Zac chuckle softly.

"Alright, I have some coffee made. Afterwards we can talk about starting your training."

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**So I hope the transformation wasn't lame? Next Chap. will be training! Leave me a REVIEW and everyone have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**

**-JZ**


	4. Custos Fortis

**So this is my newest chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this one. I'm hoping this story will be able to bring more creativity back to my other stories. I also hope that you all will read this and enjoy it. Plz leave REVIEWS! Seriously, I know that a good number of people read it, I would greatly appreciate more than 3 total people would review? Or at least PM me if you want to be anynomus. Anyways, I hope ya'll had a nice Thanksgiving!**

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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Tatsuki staggered towards the door, recognizing the bronze handle. She was confused slightly at how she appeared inside her parent's bedroom, instead of back outside the door. Taking a moment to glance around the dusty, antique atmospheric room, she caught a brief glimpse of herself in her mother's vanity mirror. Tatsuki's muscles flexed as she lifted her arm to touch her reflection. She didn't think it was possible. She felt like she spent less than a few hours in that other world, but then how did she turn into the other Tatsuki that killed her. Questions raced through her mind, screaming that none of this should be possible. Tatsuki leaned in closer to the mirror, face inches away, close enough to fog up from her breath.

Her body was identical to the Dark Tatsuki's. She had the same refined, leaner, face and muscles. Her clothing had even changed into the black jacket and steel-toed boots. She felt weird wearing such heavy boots that literally clanked when she stepped, but the only reason it felt weird was because she didn't even notice them. Her clothes were loose and comfy, yet badass… She felt as if she had handpicked them… as if she had worn them all her life, instead of waking up in them. A flash caught her attention, and she quickly adverted her eyes to it. Lightly swaying at her hip was a sheath. It was empty though…

"Hey? Are you coming or not? I've even made dinner!" She heard Zac howl throughout the house, his voice not even muffled by the door. At the sound of dinner, and sharp smell of an irresistible aroma wafting into the room, her stomach immediately retaliated. She had never felt this hungry before, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Even though she was famished, there was a pain over her abdomen that was not just hunger related. Damn… it hurts, Tatsuki grimaced. Tenderly, she lifted her tank top and gritted her teeth at the sight before her. Her ribs and stomach were black and blue, and a snow white scar indicated where she was stabbed. Besides the scar and lack of heartbeat, no one could even tell that Tatsuki was not amongst the living anymore.

"I'll eat it all!" Zac threatened one last time, causing Tatsuki to smirk. Hastily she pulled her tank top back down and waltzed out the door. She felt smug… completely lonely, lost, heartbroken, guilt ridden, and excrusiatingly sore, but for the first time (in a long time) she didn't feel helpless or weak. The new power she sensed gave her a sudden smugness. It wasn't an over-the-top "i-could-kick-anyone's-ass" smugness, it was just a simple "i-survived" smugness.

"And look who finally graced me with her presence." Zac said, giving a mock bow. "Come on, load up on some meat." Zac handed her a large plate (almost platter) pilled with various meat, ranging from: chicken, pork, steak, and Tatsuki could have sworn she saw a glimpse of fish.

"Is it edible?" She asked, poking the food with a fork cautiously. He raised an eyebrow at her, folding his arms.

"You're dead… I don't think it matters much anymore." He deadpanned, grabbing himself an equally gigantic plate. Without any hesitation, he started scooping the protein into his mouth, chewing rapidly. After a few moments, Zac put his fork down loudly, causing a loud clatter. Tatsuki gave him a quizzical expression. "The sooner you finish, the soon we can talk about training. I remember when I died, and I was STARVED after, so dig in." Abandoning her previous worry, Tatsuki speedily ate. Zac finished his meal after a few more gargantuan bites.

"So I'm going to go over the training stuff, and then I'm off." Zac informed her, standing and stretching. Tatsuki finished her last bite, surprised at the deliciousness of the odd meal.

"You can crash here if you need to… not like you have to worry about anyone walking in." She murmured, more out of politeness than sincerity.

"No, I have other business to attend to." He said offhandedly, taking a seat at the table once again. Silence encompassed the duo.

"Alright then, I guess I'll start off with, you have to call in to your school and tell them you aren't going to be in for a week." Zac informed, and then continued. "You don't want people asking questions about your sudden change overnight, do you?"

"I couldn't care less." She growled.

"You will train nearly every second of this time. The only breaks you will have are meal breaks, and two hour sleeping durations at 6 p.m. and 3 a.m., besides that you will only train. Any arguments?" He challenged, a firm glare connecting with her gaze.

"No." Tatsuki said, equally firm. "I've got some questions for you." She demanded, tilting her chair towards him. In a flash, her face was smashed into the table and her arm was dangerously close to being snapped like a twig from her trainer.

"Did I ask for any questions?" He inquired, a bit of annoyance lacing his cool voice. Tatsuki took slow shallow breaths, remaining calm. She could see him this time; it wasn't a blur to her. That was a major achievement to her. She went limp suddenly, and he relaxed his grip slightly. That was all she needed. With a swift motion, she slipped out of the grasp and just as she thought she managed to outsmart him, he caught her in the chin with a left hook. She heard his laughter erupt throughout the silent house. "You just have to test authority, don't you?"

"I guess it is part of my charm." She muttered, flexing her jaw.

"Alright, what kind of questions do you have?" Tatsuki normally would have brightened up and smirked in victory, but she felt a cloud of self control rain down on her. She masked any signs of cockiness… I guess you could say she was learning fast.

"Are you going to be training with me this time?" She questioned with a slight turn of her head.

"Not for the first cycle. You will have to pass various tests first. Then I will come and offer some advice." He thought for a moment, then decided to proceed. "That's the difference between us and Soul Reapers, Quincys, Arrancars, and such. We already know how to fight, that is why you have to kill yourself in a sense. You are never closer to yourself as when you touch death. You will find that you will gain experience very quickly." Tatsuki nodded, absorbing the answer. Another question popped into her head.

"Why do I only have a sheath?" She shook her head in confusion. "Shouldn't there be a sword in there?"

"All in good time." He waited for another question.

"How will people be able to see me? You said that I still have to attend school, but you also were speaking at the school and said that only people that could see spiritual pressures could see you… Doesn't that mean only people that can see spirits can see me?" She questioned, fully expressing her concern for the certain subject.

"We don't need to masquerade in fake bodies like Soul Reapers; all we have to do is phase between the worlds. When we phase, we use our sword to turn back into a physical form. Have you noticed that I don't have my sword?" Tatsuki looked him over, noticing for the first time that he was indeed lacking a sword.

"But…?" She was still confused.

"The sword itself changes into something else. In my case, it is a tattoo." He showed his left arm, and she saw the same gold inscriptions that were written on the hilt of his blade, inscribed into his skin starting from his inner wrist and growing to cover his entire shoulder. "So when I am "human," for lack of better term, I have a tattoo not a sword. But when I'm a Guardian, I have my sword."

"Do we still have our abilities when we are "human" as you put it?" She was increasingly curious now.

"Yes, but they aren't as strong. We would have… maybe a quarter of our natural strength. But depending on how strong you are at full power, which might just be all you really need." He joked lightly, tossing her a wink. "Legend claims that the more dominant a phased sword is on its master's physical body, the stronger the Guardian is… But that has never been proven. Anyway, any other questions?"

"No." Tatsuki said, deep in thought. Zac's tattoo was extremely dominate… maybe the legend was right?

"Alright, call the school and we'll get started." He said, throwing the phone to her while sauntering off to the couch. Tatsuki thought over her lie, going over the details she might need. When she felt prepared, she dialed the number.

"Hello, this is the Main Office, is there anything I can do for you?" A lady's voice floated over the phone.

"Yes, I would like to inform you that I won't be able to attend school until Monday." Tatsuki stated calmly, forcing waves of ease in her voice.

"Who is this?" The lady asked, writing something down.

"Tatsuki Arisawa. I will be visiting family for a week and won't be back until late Sunday."

"Oh, Tatsuki Arisawa? I am so sorry about your parents, dear. Sure thing, I'll just leave a note for the school that you had to visit some family in your hard times. Everything will be taken care of." The pity oozed off the lady's voice, triggering Tatsuki's gag reflex.

"Okay. Bye." Tatsuki hung up before the lady could continue with her pity party.

"Alright Zac, everything is taken done. So how do I get to that other world?" She asked, already guessing that would be where she would train.

"Concentrate on your sheath. It will act as a portal until you obtain your sword." He said distractedly, watching an old guy flip a pancake on the television.

"I have to do this on my own, don't I?" She meant it as a rhetorical query, but Zac was too preoccupied to catch the sarcasm in her tone.

"Yup."

Sighing, Tatsuki went to her room, deciding that it would be easier to focus without the television as background noise. Sitting on her weight bench, she unhooked her sheath from the chain connected to her belt. Its appearance was that of a normal, jet black, cold, long sheath. It didn't seem to hold any significance to her. Already becoming frustrated, she ran a hand through her unruly hair, the spikes bouncing back to their respective areas. Giving a desperate look towards the inanimate object, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Uh… open sesame?" Nothing happened, except a twinge of embarrassment staining her cheeks. "Alright, so I want to go to that other world. I want to learn how to become strong so I can protect my friends…" Tatsuki felt as if she was just rambling, but a small spark jumped throughout her hand, so she decided to roll with it. "Especially Orihime. She is extremely important to me, and she has been taken away. I can't sense her… All I want to do is protect her. I need your help Custos Fortis." The name rolled off her tongue, by what felt like instinct. She didn't know where it came from. Before she could process just what happened, the sheath began to tremble within her grasp. Then, a tornado of strength swept her off her feet.

She was falling, yet it was familiar. She knew that the ground would be coming soon, and wanted to control her landing this time. Pulling up, she attempted to position her feet beneath her body. She wished she could have slowed down, but that was uncontrollable at this point. She landed on her boots, the impact numbing her legs (turning them to jelly) and causing her to fall over. Gaining her legs again, she stumbled to her feet, dusting off the grey sand from her knees. She had landed in the desert part of this Colorless World.

Even though it was the desert, and she was surrounded by sand, a cold draft invaded the land. Tatsuki could see her breath in a matter of seconds, but the cold didn't affect her body. She searched for the source of the drastic change in climate. Tatsuki choked on her tongue when she caught sight of the most mystical being she had ever caught sight of.

What stood in front of her was a massive white wolf, with ebony black paws. What really shocked her though was sight of equally massive matching black wings that extended from the wolf's back. The wolf's eyes were a startling moonlight silver and they seemed to pierce through Tatsuki's very being. She was frozen to the dusty desert plain, unable to move. The stunning creature stared into her very soul, seeking some unknown trait. Tatsuki felt the hair on her arms and back of her neck begin to rise in fear. Her throat ran dry, breaths were quick and shallow. Tatsuki noticed her body trembling and tried to snap herself back to life.

"What are y—" Just as Tatsuki started to address the creature, it opened its colossal jaws, revealing razor sharp canines, and released a mind blowing howl. It wasn't high and screechy, but deep and strong, causing one's mind to drum and vibrate. Tatsuki fell to her knees, gripping her ears and letting out a low moan of agony. The sound kept continuing and continuing, and when she felt as if she was about to go insane, it still continued! Finally pulling herself together (or as close to "together" as she could) she did the only thing she could think of.

"CUSTOS FORTIS!" She yelled. To her dismay, it seemed to stop the wolf creature from its howling.

"And what right do you have to address I?" A deep voice echoed in her head, making her scrunch her eyes closed momentarily.

"My name is Tatsuki Arisawa." She answered calmly, looking around for the source.

"Well "Tatsuki Arisawa" why do you insist upon coming to this desolate land?" As this was said, the wolf took one step closer with its immense paw, nails like talons.

"I came here to train." She stated fearlessly (sounding fearless, in reality she was terrified but no one knows it) and straightened her posture. "Who are you?" She demanded confidently.

"I am Custos Fortis, and you are walking upon my land. This is not a sandbox for children to play in." He warned, baring his snow white teeth.

"I am here to wield my sword and become strong." She defended herself, taken aback by the creature's claim.

"You believe that you can wield me?" Tatsuki's mind had started to get used to the voice, but the rumbling laughter threw her back into a migraine. "I am Justice, Bravery, Strength, and even Righteousness. YOU believe that you can wield ME?"

"If you are my sword, Custos Fortis, then yes. I will wield you." She declared, determination causing her muscles to ripple and flex. Custos Fortis crouched down, ready to pounce at any moment.

One action caused the battle to commence. One simple, soft, tiny action… but the size of that action doesn't matter, only the significance. And that one quarter inch slip on the icy, from both of them, set off a battle that would never be forgotten.

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**There we go! Next chapter will be Tatsuki vs. Custos Fortis. Also if you want to know what Custos Fortis is... leave me a REVIEW or a PM! I really need to get some sleep! I haven't had a wink of sleep in over 48 hours! I really hate Black Friday! Normally I would stay at home, laughing about all the people that go out at crazy times of night. Now my girlfriend dragged me shopping... She drives me crazy ;)**

**-JZ**


	5. What I Hate About You

**Thank you to those that reviewed! You rock! I would like to say a special thanks to a certain someone that reviewed twice (you know who you are), You Rock! Thanks for the support! And I hope you like this chapter!**

**I don't own Bleach (If i did... Ichigo wouldn't be the main character ;) )**

**-JZ**

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Custos Fortis lunged, with amazing effortlessness, at Tatsuki. The speed and gracefulness of the wolf caught her off guard, allowing her to dodge the beast with only half a second to spare. She could hear his strong jaw snap shut as he tried to clamp his razor sharp teeth around her. Tatsuki stumbled from the impact of the massive creature's landing. It was as if the entire world shook beneath her feet from the impact. Tatsuki rolled over just in time to dodge a swipe of a huge paw. Jumping to her feet, she ran towards the forest. She could hear the creature bounding after her, the heavy clops of his paws sending vibrations up from the ground.

"I thought you were determined to defeat me?" He barked, not breaking stride. Tatsuki noticed that he didn't even seem strained by the breakneck speed. She was about a hundred yards from the edge of the clearing. If she just ran a little more…

Then the realization hit her. She never ran away. Not from a fight, that is. She never showed fear from an opponent. She could handle physical battles easily. She practiced her entire life to stand up and face her enemies with a smirk on her face.

She remembered a specific time when some creepy older guy was hanging around Orihime's house. She remembered him sitting outside watching her get home, and the slimy grin he wore when the bubbly girl would call out a greeting. The scumbag had even had the nerve to "accidentally" bump into Orihime, patting her on the ass with a wondering hand. Tatsuki recalled how she told Orihime good night after walking her home, and as she started on her route to her own house, the slim ball began to walk over. Before the guy reached the door, ratchet in his hand, Tatsuki slammed the tool away from him and dragged him into the nearest alley. "What the hell are you doing?" She questioned him, pinning him against the wall with one hand. "I-uh… um… my… power is out?" He stuttered, praying his excuse would work. "They why are the lights on in your house?" She growled. The dirt bag gulped, searching for a different excuse to use. "Save it. I'm only going to warn you once. Stay away from Orihime. I want you gone." The threat clung to the man, causing him to shiver. How could she have known what I was about to do?—He thought to himself. "I-is that a t-threat?" He attempted one last time to seem strong, but it backfired. "No. It's a promise." And Tatsuki shoved him back into the wall and picked up his ratchet. With a powerful throw, she hit him right where it hurt. The guy squealed, eyes crossed, and fell to the ground. A week later, Orihime had told her that Mr. Simons (the creepy guy) had a moving van outside his house, but the guy didn't even stop by and say goodbye before he left. Tatsuki told Orihime that "Mr. Simons" must have had a pretty important reason to leave.

Tatsuki halted immediately, turning on one heel to face the oncoming attack. Custos Fortis laughed at her sudden display of valor, but Tatsuki didn't react to it. She crouched, getting into a fighting stance. She felt her sheath click against her boot and had an idea. Unclasping the sheath from its chain, she held it like a sword. The wolf was impressed. The gap was closed between them, and a cold gust of wind blew dust up into the air. Tatsuki jumped in the air, clearing the wolf's pounce, and landing on his back. She wanted to marvel at the height she just reached, but slipped from the bucking the wolf started doing. She could tell that he wanted her off… NOW. But she couldn't just make it easy for him. Instead she staggered until she reached spot between his ears, and sat on his head.

"How dare you!" He yowled, tossing his head in several directions. Tatsuki held on though.

"The view is pretty good from up here." Tatsuki taunted, not sure what else to do. This infuriated Custos Fortis. The winged-wolf extended his wingspan and took flight. Tatsuki was holding on to his fur, clinging for dear life. The desert was getting smaller, and eventually turned into a tiny dot. She didn't know how high they were, but she feared looking around.

"Do you really want to stay up there now?" He growled, shaking his head.

"I'd rather stay up here than fall all the way back down!" She retorted snidely. The only sound between them was the whooshing from his flapping wings. There was no heartbeat from either party.

"You are impossibly stubborn." The wolf finally said irritation evident in his voice. Tatsuki smirked wickedly; she enjoyed having the upper hand.

"Thanks." She mocked, rolling her eyes. "So why do you want to kill me anyways? 'Cuz I was playin' on your pretty land?" She taunted, mirth lacing her voice.

"You do realize that I can exterminate you with a single swipe of my paw, right?" He growled again.

"Yeah, I think you already tried that." She said, rolling her eyes. The freedom of being in so far away from everything: responsibilities, people, her own mind… it created a calm over her.

"Why do you want to wield me? What makes you so sure you deserve it?" He asked, curiosity slipping out.

"There is someone that I really care for. She was taken to a place called Hueco Mundo, and I have you rely on someone else to bring her back." The wolf gave a huff, not understanding the entire story. "I was supposed to be her protector. I am supposed to be her protector… but I've failed. She didn't even tell me that she was involved in this stuff." Tatsuki let out a sigh continued, "So it doesn't matter whether I deserve you or not... probably not. The point is though, I need to be able to protect her."

"So why now? You feel left out and miss your little friend?" He asked, voice devoid of any emotion. Tatsuki shook her head, releasing her grip on his fur.

"I just want to protect her and my other friends… I don't care if they know it or not. I need to make sure she is safe. She was really the only thing that kept me top side anyways." Tatsuki laughed a little. She never realized how much she needed Orihime until the girl just disappeared.

"You want to protect her?" He asked himself, slowly lowering both of them to the ground. Tatsuki hadn't realized their steady decent. "Perhaps we are meant to be partners…"

"Perhaps?"

"Yes… Of course your cocky, easy going, reckless approach to fighting annoys me to no end, but I believe that I would be proud to have a partner so dedicated to their charge." He said, landing softly on the ground. He slumped his right shoulder and let Tatsuki jump off. After landing on her feet, she turned back to the wolf.

"My charge? You think she is my charge?" She asked, confusion rattling through her head.

"Maybe…" He said thoughtfully. "Any ways, I accept your proposal. We will fight as one. I will gladly give my life for this girl if that is what you wish." He said, head bowed. Tatsuki bowed to him as well, and then went down on one knee.

"And if a cause should arise where you wish my assistance, I will be there without question." She vowed. He raised an eyebrow at this, normally Guardians don't make promises with their swords, but this girl wasn't exactly normal. She had an instinct for protecting… a strong sense of justice, and that was what made them perfect partners.

A breeze ruffled his fur and white snowflakes seemed to float off of him. Tatsuki watched these snowflakes twirl and twist around her, until they started to funnel into her empty sheath. Then she saw a feather and flecks of ebony from his claws dance in the air, until finally resting upon the top of her blade. Tatsuki and Custos Fortis shared a long gaze, until he nodded and pounce right above her.

"And one we shall be." He told her, voice softly ringing in her head. Then he snapped her within his jaws. A terrible pain shot throughout her body, but blood didn't stain his teeth nor the grey floor. There was a flash of light before darkness welcomed her with open arms.

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**The next chapter will include not just the Aftermath of the bite from Custos Fortis, but also the entire week of training. If you have any arguments about that (such as moving too fast) then leave a review telling me. I really think that I should get this moved on to where Orihime has returned to Kurakara town... This is a TatsukixOrihime fic! Also, I'm not following the plot line of Bleach much after Orihime was taken... sorry. But Please leave a REVIEW! ... Or PM! You all rock!**

**-JZ**


	6. Learning the Trade

**Okay, I started writing this right after I finished the other chapter. This is going to give you some good info, some humor, and bridge the time from her training to having to go back to school. This takes place over one week. Thank you for reading. And plz REVIEW. I can only ask you so much and my extreme pride + self respect means that I can not beg. So plz REVIEW! Thank you.**

**I don't own bleach... (and who ever accuses me of that really over estimates my ability to draw a straight line)**

**-JZ**

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"Arrrgh… fuuuuuuck…" Tatsuki groaned, waking up on her bedroom floor. She was starting to get the impression that everything to do with Guardians usually meant extreme pain. _Haha, that is an interesting assumption._ Custos Fortis' voice floated inside her fuzzy mind.

"Hey, Custos Fortis? Where the hell are you? And why the HELL did you bite me? I thought you said we were like… partners or something?" She questioned, anger and confusion making it difficult to locate the voice.

_We are one now. _He paused, hoping the words would sink in… Unfortunately, Tatsuki's extreme state of befuddlement had blocked the understanding. With a sigh, he explained himself. _I am in your head you moron! Jeez, you can be such an idiot…_

"Sorry that I didn't realize a sword/ wolf-bird thing could be in my mind." She snickered sarcastically. A strong wave of hunger hit her, even more powerful than the first time she returned from that world. "That doesn't explain why the hell you attacked me!"

_The only way a sword can be complete is if you trade your blood for my power. Remember the snow and feather? Yeah, that made up your sword… smartone… _He sighed, exasperated as Tatsuki's sheer lack of knowledge. Though, he shouldn't be surprised… she was young. _And instead of calling that place the "other world" it is called our shared mind. _

Tatsuki stood up, absorbing the new information. She could sense the weight on her right side slightly offset. Taking her left hand, she fluidly unsheathed her weapon. In her eyes, it was a masterpiece. Hell, in anyone's eyes, the blade was an utter masterpiece. It felt like an extension of her arm, the weightlessness almost disturbing. It seemed that the sheath may have weighed more than the actual blade. The blade was white, not silver or grey, but a pure white. The hilt was jet black and fit naturally with her grip, but even with her warm hand clasped firmly around the handle, the sword never warmed up… it remained as cold as the arctic, but Tatsuki could only sense the sensation. She couldn't feel the actual cold. At the end of the hilt was a thin white ribbon, no longer that a foot. A single large ebony feather glistened was connected to the ribbon. The ribbon had "Custos Fortis" in black. It was a long, thin sword, with little resistance. Yet the power that coursed through the tip of the blade, into the hilt, into her fingertips, then her arm, until it finally reached her whole body… that was the type of power she needed to protect Orihime.

_You like it?_

"It is amazing…" She answered breathlessly. With one final lingering gaze, she reluctantly sheathed her sword.

_Alright, we need to stick to Zac's training schedule. So go grab some food and some sleep. I'll wake you up._

And that set off their week of intense training. Zac only showed up a couple of times, to check on "progress" as he put it. But Zac turned out being right, she didn't really need him to train her. Custos Fortis taught her many things, from how to use a sword to phasing. On the third day, she could successfully phase without any real effort.

Her phase was slightly strange to her. First off, she gained pure white coloring on the end of her hair, causing the spikes to look like she had stood outside all night and collected frost on them. The other thing was she had large black wings tattooed on her back, almost making her look like an angel from hell. And lastly, her eye color had turned the same steely moonlight color as Custos Fortis. Zac didn't seem at all surprised by all the physical changes phasing caused her. He actually acted like it was exactly what he expected.

Besided the phase-induced changes, there were also many other aspects that changed due to her becoming a Guardian. She was impossibly physically fit, even though she ate enough food to feed a pack of wolves five times a day. Also her strength was immense. She had a lot of trouble learning to be gentle with such breakable objects such as door knobs, refrigerators, walls, metals in general, cooking utensils, eating utensils, plates, and she even broke her tooth brush a few times. And luckily, by the fifth day, she had 99% control over her strength. Of course there were always those moments when she was frustrated or careless and she would snap a fork in half or rip a door knob out. And spending all that time alone, without any human contacts, had given her the time she needed to learn to control her emotions. She now had her anger in check, and unless provoked, she could contain her fury. Luckily for her, the only emotion she ever really showed was that of rage.

It was the end of the sixth day, and Zac had been showing her the fine tuned parts of swordsmanship. It was the last practice day. Custos Fortis had explained that each day in the real world was equal to a week in their mind. And she understood now why Zac's training schedule had been so rigorous. She was currently dodging a swipe at her head from Zac, and she countered with a well placed kick to his exposed chest. He stumbled back a little and she took the opportunity to slash at his throat. Zac struggled to regain his balance and put up a sloppy block. The hit sent him toppling over, into the snowy ground. Tatsuki had learned how to flash in her training, and did just that. She now had her blade pressed hard against his defenseless jugular and a firm knee on his ribs, making him grasp a bit for breath.

"Alright, get off." He told her and she stood up. She couldn't had the grin on her face. She was sweating cold sweat, a side effect of her Guardian powers as well, and sheathed her sword. It was a long hard day and she was sore. But she had learned that the soreness was nothing and had come to enjoy the pain. She put everything she had into every training session, because it was the first real escape from everything. All that she had lost: Orihime, her parents, her friends…

"Good job. Let's call it a night. Have fun at school tomorrow." He said with a smirk and was just about to leave. "Afterwards, I'll send you Hollow hunting. Ready for a little payback?" The hair on Tatsuki's neck stood on end. She was more than ready. Every fiber inside her screamed for her to just skip school, but she had to rein in that immaturity.

"Yes, Sir." She told him as he flashed away. She turned to her furry wolfy friend and saw him lying near a rock. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. I suppose this will be the last time in a while that we train here. Let's get some sleep, tomorrow will be fun." He told her, stretching his gigantic legs, fur rippling over his muscles. Tatsuki touched the sheath with her hand and said Return. In a flash, she was inside her room again. The week had just seemed to fly by.

She ate the rest of the take out from the morning, and chugged the last beverage she had inside the house. She hadn't even left her house since the start of this whole thing, and her food and beverage levels were running dangerously low. She looked around the house, seeing all the photo albums of her parents turned over or the picture ripped out. It was the result of one frustrating training day. Their eyes of disapproval seemed to tear her soul out. She waltzed back to her room, laid on her bed, and let sleep deprivation force her into an unusually long (which would be longer than two hours) sleep.

Tomorrow I will go to school. They will not know what happened to me, but I am sure they will be worried. They are all probably still mad at what I did to the boys… Tatsuki thought, just as she drifted into the blackness of dreamless slumber.

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**Alright, next chapter is going back to school! I already have some good ideas for that. Also I might include the Hollow fight in the next chapter, I don't exactly know how indepth I'm going into the school day. If you have any opionions leave a REVIEW!**

**-JZ**


	7. School Time

**I know it took a little bit, but it is long and I think it is a good chapter... but what I think doesn't really matter now does it? Tell me what you think with this awesome invention called a REVIEW! I have also now made it to where you can put up ANONYMOS REVIEWS! So please review and i'll update quicker.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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_School time. Get the hell up! _A rumbling voice shouted inside her head. The sleeping girl let out a moan, mumbling incoherent words. _You better get the hell up or you're going to be late! _The voice thundered inside her skull, the sound bouncing off the inner walls of her head.

"Why the hell should I give a damn?" She grumbled, wrapping a pillow around her head. She was willing to try anything to escape the deafening voice.

_If you're late, you get detention. If you get detention, you have less time to kill Hollows. _Custos Fortis reasoned. This new outlook seemed to light a fire under Tatsuki's ass. She jumped out of bed and threw on her Guardian clothes. If she was going to fight after school, there was no point in wearing the uniform. She was glad that the uniform rules had been relaxed and it was only optional now… even though everyone still pretty much wore it. Tatsuki took one look in the mirror, noticing her white tipped hair, black boots, kickass jacket, baggy pants, and loose belt were all in place.

She grabbed the last TV dinner and noted that she would eventually have to go to the grocery store. With a sigh, she finished the last of her "appetizing" meal and brushed her teeth. She realized how quickly she had gotten ready, and was slightly impressed by her increased speed. With an "I'll kick your ass" smirk, she snatched her bag up and left her house.

It was a chilled walk, signs of winter being left in the form of last night's frost. She wasn't cold, but found herself slightly missing the human sensation. Cold was something she would never feel again… kind of like her heartbeat. At first it was difficult to get used to. She didn't have the blood rushing to her ears after a tough work out, or the pounding organ reflecting her fear, or even the simple steady hum that told her how peaceful everything was. She wasn't human… But she was pretty sure she didn't regret changing… There really wasn't much keeping her human anyways, and becoming a Guardian finally gave her a purpose again.

She had become strong, fast, smart, calm, and stealthy on the battlefield. She was unrivaled by even the wisest, most stalwart human alive. But there was a pang of worry that clung to her heart. She feared that she would be facing her one extreme weakness… emotions. It wasn't so much as her own emotions she was concerned about, she could bury those and completely hide them just fine, but other peoples' emotions were unpredictable. She couldn't even begin to guess how Michiru would react to seeing her, or Chizuru, or even the idiot Keigo. She couldn't grasp the reasoning behind the petty gossip and stupid grudges against other for such pathetic incentives. Even when she was alive, she never understood why some girls would be jealous over another girl's outfit. It seemed like such a feeble squabble.

That is why she enjoyed fighting so much, she guessed. It was because you were always fighting FOR something. And that something always had to be important if you were willing to stand up and take a beating for it. Karate was her favorite thing in the world because she was always fighting to prove her strength, pride, and skill. She had to be able to back up things she said. It was strenuous and difficult, but looking back on it… it was probably what had prepared her to be able to survive Guardian training.

"Is that Tatsuki Arisawa?" She heard a girl whisper to another, voice low and confused. Tatsuki scanned her surroundings; apparently she had just arrived at the school. The warrior didn't talk to anybody, or make an effort to attract attention; she just ambled up to her classroom. Even though she wasn't trying to draw attention, she noticed a lot of heads turning to stare at her and whisper. She entered her classroom a couple seconds before the bell buzzed and was able to make it to her seat before the teacher entered.

"Alright class, now let's take out our books and turn to page 325 and discuss…" Tatsuki tuned out of the rest of the lecture, deciding to gaze out the window instead. She didn't glance around the room, but she could tell who was watching her. Michiru, Mahana, and Chizuru kept glancing at her and then looking away quickly. Then they would look at each other. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow to herself when she could sense that even the ever stoic Ryo was chancing quick glimpses in her direction.

"Tatsuki? Have you been listening to one word of this lecture?" The teacher asked, finally realizing that the girl hadn't taken her gaze away from the window the entire hour. Reluctantly Tatsuki turned her head and stared straight at Mrs. Merziro. With a lazy shrug, she yawned and leaned back in her chair.

"Yes ma'am, every word." Tatsuki replied coolly, not breaking eye contact. Mrs. Merziro was a little unnerved by the piercing gaze, but refused to back down.

"Then what is the answer to question 15?" She asked, smiling to herself.

"First off, you were on question six. Secondly, there are two answers to question six. First and most efficiently, an object with that little surface area and such an imperfect surface would be impossible to reach that velocity, let alone be able to stay in a straight line. The answer would clearly be no solution. If we were looking at this question in the carefree attitude that high school students typically give these sort of tedious questions… then the answer is 3,997 feet per second." Tatsuki answered, voice still in her carefree, lazy tone. The teacher gaped at the girl, unable to find any flaw in the answer. Mrs. Merziro sputtered, and went pale before finally addressing Tatsuki in a harsh tone.

"Ms. Arisawa, sit straight. This is class, not your living room." She growled before returning to the board. This scene captured the entire class's attention. It wasn't that Tatsuki wasn't smart, but she was never the type of person to pay attention in class and get great grades. This sudden change in the natural order seemed to send off distress signals to the students. If Tatsuki was going to magically become a super student… then what would be next?

Class ended for lunch about an hour later. The teacher didn't ask Tatsuki anymore questions, nor even acknowledge her existence. It was kind of a relief to Tatsuki; she didn't need to be concerned about a teacher riding her all year about grades. The glances shot at her by the other students were still ignored, not even earning a glare. Tatsuki simply decided to disregard the other people all together. When the bell for lunch rang, she was the first person out of their seat and exiting the classroom. She didn't bring a lunch, but she didn't really need it. She decided to hang out in a tree until the period was over. Hopefully no one would be stupid enough to bother her. Just as Tatsuki got comfortable in a tall tree, she heard someone calling out to her from below. She cracked open one eye and saw Michiru waving for her to join them. Instead of eating at any of the other twenty trees in the school yard, the group decided to set up shop right beneath Tatsuki's dozing spot.

"Come on Tatsuki! Aren't you hungry?" Michiru called up, attempting to get the other girl to come down and talk to them. The whole group was kind of unnerved by the sudden disappearance of Tatsuki, but even more anxious when they saw how she had returned.

"Nope." Tatsuki said languidly, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly and reclining back on the branch.

"Please Tatsuki? We just want to talk about what happened while you were g—"

"Sorry I can't hear you!" Tatsuki shouted as she put in her headphones. Michiru was annoyed by the uncaring attitude. Her irritation shot through the roof when she saw Tatsuki close her eyes and take a nap.

"I can't believe she just did that!" Michiru ranted, the other girls obviously as surprised as her.

"Wow, Tatsuki has sure changed, huh?" Mahana said, sitting down and taking her lunch out.

"That is just because Orihime left." Ryo told her. "It is obvious that Tatsuki is heartbroken. Then you throw in the loss of her parents and it is surprising that she is taking this as well as she is." Michiru gawped at her.

"Well? You think she is taking it well? Look at her. She is acting like nothing has even happened, like she didn't just lose everything and everyone that was important to her. That isn't "doing well." It is called denial." Michiru huffed.

Tatsuki's body went rigid. She hadn't actually turned her IPod on; she merely put the headphones on and had the cord in her pocket. She ground her teeth at what Michiru had said. They don't know anything, she growled to herself. She found herself unconsciously baring her teeth in a wolf-like snarl.

"You do realize that this is Tatsuki we are talking about, right Michiru?" Chizuru piped up for the first time. She was abnormally quiet all day, and had refrained from groping anyone. "Tatsuki doesn't talk about her "feelings." I don't even know if she would talk about feelings with Orihime. But I do know that no matter what we do, Tatsuki won't come out of that tree to talk unless Orihime is the one asking." Chizuru finished, sipping on her water. She didn't know Tatsuki very well, but she had gotten some information from the times that Orihime would wait for Tatsuki after school and would ramble on and on about how "funny" Tatsuki would be if they just "talked." Orihime even mentioned one time that after Tatsuki beat up a group of thugs that were making moves on Orihime, the emotionally inept girl wouldn't even speak the rest of the night.

"I think Chizuru is right." Ryo agreed solemnly. The lunch bell rang and everyone went back to their classrooms. Tatsuki finally jumped out of the tree, teeth still grinding and her muscles tensed. She was visibly shaking with anger, but she didn't let it reach her eyes. She remained in control of herself. The rest of the day went smooth. Tatsuki still refused the pleading looks from her friends, and she managed to snap her pencil like a twig. When the final bell rang, Tatsuki was as good as gone. She was outside the room before most people even stood up. Almost sprinting to the exit, she felt a wave of relief as fresh air hit her. She had already started to walk off school grounds when she heard a group of underclassmen boys cackling. Tatsuki was about to walk passed until she heard the unmistakable sound of Karin Kurosaki's voice.

"Stay the hell away from us!" This caught Tatsuki's immediate and undivided attention. Even though Ichigo's little sisters were HIS little sisters, she still had a desire to protect them. Tatsuki waltzed up to the group and peered around until she saw Karin and Uzuru in the center. There were a few boys (a lot older than the two girls) that decided it would be funny to take cheap shots at usually protected targets.

"And why would we do that? We are just starting to have fun." One of the boys, probably the ring leader, snorted out, earning a roar of laughter from the other boys. At that comment, Tatsuki had ultimately had enough.

"I think you morons should run along home." Tatsuki said loudly and firmly. The laughs ceased and all eyes were on her. She walked up to Karin and Uzuru. "Are you guys alright?" Uzuru nodded and mumbled a hushed "thanks," while Karin straightened her posture and huffed.

"I had them right where I wanted them." She said indignantly. Tatsuki couldn't stop the smirk that crossed her face.

"How about we go easy on these idiots and you let me handle them? We don't want to bust them up too badly." Tatsuki told her with a wink. Karin just nodded, a little dumbstruck. "Alright, so who wants to go first?" Tatsuki asked the group of boys. There were about twelve, but she knew her only problem would be holding back.

"Like you could take any of us." The ring leader bragged, but his voice shook with nervousness at the realization that he didn't have the support he was hoping for.

"So you're the leader? A spineless coward? Well I guess it is only fitting that a spineless coward, such as yourself, should lead a pack of unconfident idiots that need to be led around like blind puppies." Tatsuki snickered at the rage planted on the coward's face. Then he threw his whole body at her, hoping his size would give him the upper hand. Boy… Was he wrong!

Tatsuki grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a hard knee to the gut. The boy fell to his knees and Tatsuki spared no mercy. She gave him a powerful right hook that sent him to the ground with tears and a bloody nose. The boys that had been teasing the girls along with the leader jumped into action. It was all in vein though. Tatsuki sent them to the ground faster than they could come up with an attack. After the last guy fell, clutching his "merchandise," Tatsuki turned to the other few boys that remained out of the fight.

"What are you waiting for? Either show me what you've got, or run home with your tail between your legs." She growled out, adrenaline rushing though her body. The boys ran away, arms waving in the air. She laughed to herself at the sight and heard Karin laughing too. "You guys alright? If they hurt you, I'm sure I could catch up to them." Tatsuki assured them, giving them a smirk.

"No, we're alright. But thanks. Those morons have been ragging on us ever since Ichigo… left to visit relatives." Karin explained, a look of awe sparkled in her eyes. Uzuru nodded in agreement.

"If they mess with either of you two again, just tell them that I'll hunt them down. That threat should certainly work." Tatsuki said, motioning to the leader that was just starting to crawl away.

"Y-Yeah!" Karin stuttered, a slight blush covering her cheeks. She wasn't the only one that had formed a slight crush on her hero; many of the onlookers also saw Tatsuki in a new light. Sadly for Tatsuki, she had no clue what her small act of heroism ignited.

"Alright. Stay out of trouble you two." Tatsuki said before strolling off the school grounds. She had a mission today. She figured she would be a little late, but didn't regret it. Tatsuki used her newly discovered speed to race back to her house. She felt excitement coursing through her body, and a cocky grin hooked itself onto her face. She was ready to fight for real, that warm up with those bullies only raised her exhilaration; and now she was almost driving herself insane with thoughts of slaughtering sickening monsters that would indefinitely attempt to annihilate defenseless people and rob them of their souls. She arrived at her house surprisingly fast, even for her own expectations, but didn't waste any time.

The hastily opened the door, threw her bag inside and phased back into her Guardian form. Walking back out, closing the door behind her, she suddenly felt free… no longer trapped inside a body that was meant only to hide herself and allow her to walk amongst the living. Now she could do what the burning hole was screaming at her to… murder evil, let loose her strength until she dropped with exhaustion, and become stronger. As she flashed throughout the streets, she observed the people that walked right pass her. They were completely clueless, just like she had been.

"Zac, where should I go?" Tatsuki called out, waiting for her instructions.

_Are you ready? _Custos Fortis yipped, much like an excited wolf cub. _I haven't been able to sink my teeth into a BoneFace in forever! My paws are twitching with anticipation for this slaughter. _He yowled in her head, causing the sword to actually pulsate. Tatsuki almost laughed at how less than a week ago, his voice hurt like hell to listen to, but now it was as natural as breathing… more natural because breathing takes effort sometimes.

"Don't overexcite yourself. We need to wait until Zac gives us the order on where to go. We don't want to put any civilians in any unneeded danger." She told him wisely, and thought for a moment. "Did you just call a Hollow a 'BoneFace'?" She questioned, slightly amused by the unimaginative name.

_Back before the Soul Reapers came, we had our own name for them that worked just damn fine. Stupid Soul Reapers always think that they are better than us. _He explained, a grudging tone lacing his thick voice.

"So you called them BoneFaces? That is really original." She teased, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly.

"Are you done chatting?" Zac's voice grumbled. He was mad about something, but Tatsuki had learned that if she didn't ask him, he wouldn't ask her. And that was a good deal.

"Yeah. How many are we going to take out today?" She asked, wanting to gather information before she got in the fight and entirely lost her better judgment.

"As many as you can get." He told her with a cool tone. Then he gazed up at the sky, watching what looked like glass shattering. Tatsuki felt the hair on her neck rise instinctively. She didn't like the black cracks marring the clear blue sky.

"What is going on?" She whispered, not even glancing at Zac, her gaze firmly placed on the sky.

"They're coming… Lots of them too. Looks like your friends have aggravated the hornets' nest." He growled, and then pulled out his sword with a little too much ferocity for Tatsuki's comfort. "Just like Soul Reapers…" He growled under his breath.

"Pissing off Hollows?" She guessed, noticing the cracks getting larger and seeing faces of countless monsters.

"We can piss off Hollows, but those bastards piss them off and then leave this world completely unprotected. You know how I said that you would have to detach yourself from your human friends in order to protect them?" Tatsuki nodded. "Well thanks to your Soul Reaper buddies, they just might still die. Guardians will protect people above all else. Soul Reapers will protect themselves. They don't care about humans, or Quincys, or us… Hell they wouldn't even care about the Hollows if those creatures just played in their own backyard."

"I'm sure there are some Soul Reapers lurking around here." Tatsuki said, not defensively, but just pointing it out. "They don't want to make too big of a scene in the human world." Zac let out a dry, bitter laugh that made even Tatsuki feel a wave of cold.

"Nope. It is just you, me, and a few rouges that were exiled by the Soul Society." He turned his complete focus on her eyes now, trying to convey all his experience with Soul Reapers so she wouldn't have to go through the same things he did. "They see themselves as the only superior beings. They don't care if you, me, that lady, or her baby dies." He shouted, pointing to a pregnant woman walking around the park with a friend. "They just want to serve themselves. They fear and hate people like you and me. They will even dispose of their own kind if he or she doesn't follow their beliefs. Soul Reapers will always care more about purifying a Hollow, than saving a child." And with that last advice, he motioned up to the sky with his head.

There were hundreds of Hollows pouring out of the cracks, and in the distance some of them were being exterminated already (most likely from the rouges). Zac's parting words were all Tatsuki needed to understand where she stood. She needed to protect people and if she were to confront a Soul Reaper, she would rip them to pieces.

Tatsuki jumped into the air, catching sight of a Hollow not too far away. With an effortless lung, she unsheathed Custos Fortis and lopped the head off. It dissolved into the air, and she immediately went after a group that was just a few feet from her. They were large, slobbering creatures and she felt a grin slide on her face. She was enjoying this immensely. Kicking a Hollow hard enough to make him fly into two others, she grasped the ribbon at the end of her sword and threw the blade straight through all three Hollow masks. They too dissolved into nothingness.

"Custos Fortis!" She called, and the sword flew back into her waiting hand. She slashed, jabbed, cut, and hacked her way for at least an hour. She must have killed anywhere between three hundred and four hundred Hollows so far. She was panting, and had dirt smudged along her face. She got a small cut on her arm when a Hollow shot a needle from its tail, but she swiftly disposed of the pesky creature. The sun was starting to descend and all that could be seen was the orange glow over the lake.

"You too tired?" Zac hollered from somewhere to her left.

"No way!" She yelled back, punching a Hollow so hard in the face that its entire head shattered and it dispersed as well.

"Good. You want to take the Menos? Shouldn't be too hard for you." He said with a grunt, obviously finishing off a sufficiently annoying beast.

"Sure. Sounds like fun." Tatsuki finished off the last of the Hollows in her immediate area, then surveyed the battlefield. There weren't too many left, but less than a mile away she could see a massive Hollow that was all black except for the white mask. "This will be entertaining." She flashed over to the beast, but it shot a red beam at her. She dodged it without too much trouble.

_You are smarter than this thing, and stronger. Take it out quickly though. It is causing damage below. _Custos Fortis warned her, making her think back to the civilians leisurely strolling amongst town.

"Got it." And she did a flash just in front of the creature. Just as she predicted, the Hollow shot the beam. In a blur, Tatsuki raised Custos Fortis and the ray was absorbed into the heavenly blade. She felt a sudden surge of energy rush throughout her body, and wanted to release a scream of pain as it electrified every nerve inside her, but she held in her screech and instead, allowed a howl of anger to flood from her mouth. She jumped above the Menos, feeling power swelling under her skin, and came barreling down. Tatsuki held Custos Fortis in both hands, desperately trying to rid the unexplainable strength from her body. As she darted towards the ground, she made a clean slash through the Menos, starting at the white skully mask and ending twenty feet from the earth. The powerful strike left her feeling woozy and uncoordinated.

"Nice job." Zac said, flashing just beside her. They both watched the massive monster vanish into dust and disappear from sight. "That was a skilled attack."

"Yeah… I just think next time I'm gonna—" She was cut off, mid sentence, as a sudden wave of nausea took over. She bent over and vomited, face pale as a ghost (no pun intended). After a couple more heaves, she collapsed to her knees, all her previous energy gone.

"Guess you still need to learn some stuff." Zac chuckled out, patting Tatsuki's shoulder as he started to walk past.

"Where the hell are you going?" She grumbled, attempting to sit up. She eventually just decided to sit with her head between her knees.

"I'm going to be taking a trip. I won't be back for a while. Call out if you need me; otherwise, you know how to find Hollows and obviously exterminate them. Just don't die before I get back." He told her, amusement coating his voice; he seemed to be in a much better mood.

"Su—" She clenched her stomach, fighting off another wave of dizzying sickness.

"Just rest up a little and you'll be fine." And he flashed away. Tatsuki took a quick glimpse at the sky and noticed the ugly cracks were gone now. An abrupt relief distracted her for a moment. She gazed around her, and saw the same pregnant lady kissing a man. They were happy, and safe… now.

_That's what Guardians do. Now let's get something to eat, I'm starved. _Custos Fortis threatened playfully. Tatsuki let out a heavy sigh in mock exasperation. Then she stood up, checked to make sure it was safe, phased, and then started a nice relaxed walk for the closest take-out place… a cocky grin plastered on her dirty face.

"I'M STARVED!" She whined after a second, hunger immediately distracting her from her previously serene moment. "WHERE IS A FUCKING FAST FOOD PLACE WHEN YOU NEED IT?"

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**I hope you like this chapter! Next chap. is going to be tricky ;) because Orihime is coming back! Yup, so if you want to give me encouragement to write a really good chapter... leave a REVIEW!**

**-JZ**


	8. Routines

**Alright, I hope you like this chapter. This is a (hopefully good) filler bridging... haha, no I'm not going to give away every detail. I have made REVIEWS anyomus (i still can't figure out how to spell that word) enabled. So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I'm working on the next chapter and hope it will be up soon. **

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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A few weeks passed, and Tatsuki fell into a quick routine. She'd wake up, go to school, kill about a dozen Hollows, eat a couple pizzas, and then try to go to sleep. She hadn't seen Zac since the first Hollow fight, but she was fine and didn't need him to watch over her. There had been a few more hordes of Hollows coming from cracks in the sky, but they became obsolete. Her power had at least doubled, and her fitness was impeccable. School had become unnaturally boring. Mahana, Michiru, Chizuru, and Ryo had decided not to even attempt to get Tatsuki back. They were extremely annoying and persistent the first couple weeks, but Tatsuki refused to even hold a brief conversation. They still sat beneath the same tree that Tatsuki would happen to be napping in, but they tried to pretend like it was just coincidence. That was actually what was going on at the moment. Tatsuki was "napping" in the tree, and they were eating their lunch directly below.

"Hey Chizuru…" Mahana asked between a mouthful of her ham sandwich. "Do you have a crush on Tatsuki?" The others gaped (including Chizuru) but Michiru and Ryo had a curious gleam in their eyes.

"W-What? That is ridiculous!" She howled in outrage.

"Why?" This time it was MIchiru who asked.

"Because she isn't my type." Chizuru informed them snidely, disgusted with the thought of her and Tatsuki as a couple.

"Not your type? I didn't know that you had a type." Michiru continued, interest sparking her features.

"Everyone has a type. And everyone has a type for BOTH genders." Chizuru remarked, causing Ryo to glance up from her book.

"What do you mean?" Michiru continued, confused.

"Whether you know it or not, everyone is willing to turn gay for SOMEONE." Chizuru retorted, rolling her eyes at the blush running across all their faces. "And my guess would be that that person isn't me." She huffed, chancing a glimpse at Tatsuki's "sleeping" form in the tree.

"Are you saying that we have a crush on Tatsuki!" Mahana squeaked out, her voice higher pitched than normal. Ryo hit her in the back of the head with her book, a scarlet blush creeping down her neck. "What?"

"Yep, you guys have got it bad too." Chizuru said sadly, disappointed that Tatsuki was getting almost all the girls at the school to crush on her so easily.

"N-no we don't." Ryo defended, her cold composed demeanor replaced by a shy school girl.

"Yeah… you do."

"No, we don't." Michiru said unconvincingly, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Don't feel so bad, most of the girls at this school are tripping over themselves to catch a glimpse of the elusive Tatsuki." Chizuru grumbled, not entirely enjoying the subject. Michiru covered her head with her hands, trying to hide the blush.

"I can't believe that I have a crush on Tatsuki." She murmured into her hands, realization slamming into her.

"It is only logical." Ryo started, attempting to regain her composure, but failing miserably. "She is physically powerful, intelligent, protective, silent, courageous, and… and…"

"HOT!" Mahana filled in the sentence.

"Yes, and "hot." So it is only logical that our natural instincts are to go for the best person in the area. It's not like any of the boys here could ever compete."

"Especially since Ichigo, Chad, and the sewing guy left." Michiru added, shocked that Ryo would be the one to admit that they had a crush on their extremely annoying friend. The lunch bell rang and the little group packed up and headed for class.

Tatsuki just lay there, unable to move. A deep scarlet covered her face and flowed down her neck. She couldn't believe what they were just talking about. It was Chizuru's fault, putting those thoughts in their head. Telling them that they had crushes on Tatsuki, that was just to confused them about themselves and distract them from noticing Chizuru's "playful" flirting. Tatsuki tried to convince herself, desperately, that that was all that was going on. That no one was "tripping over themselves" or "crushing" on her... That it was all just Chizuru's damn fault for filling their heads with lies.

_I think you are the school's greatest "eye candy" now. _Custos Fortis teased, bellowing between words. _I mean seriously, how did I not notice it before. I think the younger girls are actually watching you right now!_

"Just shut up." Tatsuki growled as she slowly ambled towards her classroom. The day went by fast, nothing out of the ordinary. The bell was just about to ring when a stabbing pain shot through her chest. It was such an intense pulsation that she choked and grasped her jacket in the area her heart would normally be beating. The searing torment electrocuted her again, but this time she gritted her teeth and bared the agony silently.

What the fuck is that, she shouted in her head.

_That means your Charge is back in the human world. _Custos Fortis explained calmly. The bell rang and Tatsuki flew from her seat and out the door in a blur. The pain started to ebb away, leaving her panting. She opted for phasing right now, and flashed to the rooftop of the nearest building.

"What the hell was that?" She panted, still clutching her jacket.

_I told you, your Charge is back in this world now. _He repeated, slightly irritated for the repetitive question.

"My Charge? I don't have a Charge. I don't even know what a Cha—" Tatsuki paused mid sentence, a realization stopping her in her tracks. "Orihime is back?"

_Look for yourself. It seems that she wanted to see you all first thing upon her return. _He stated, causing Tatsuki to gaze off in the direction of the school's entrance. Sure enough, Orihime was standing there, waving to Chizuru, Mahana, Ryo, and Michiru as they walked out of the building. Then she ran up and gave each of them a huge hug, almost suffocating them with her chest. She looked around, head flying wildly from side to side, most likely asking where Tatsuki was. _You know she can see you right?_

"Shit!" Tatsuki dove behind the other side of the roof, letting out a frustrated growl at her sword's late knowledge. "Hey, the pain is gone." She said offhandedly.

_Yes you idiot, it is gone because you have just ensured that she is okay. It will do that any time she is hurt or in danger, unless she is in a different world as you. Then the connection is lost. _He informed. _Are you going to go say hi or anything?_

"No, I'm different now. I'm not the person she remembers. Too many things have changed now." A prickling sensation coursed through her, triggering her to snarl and narrow her eyes in search of the disturbing presence. "What is that?" Just as Tatsuki questioned the offending sensation, Ichigo and Rukia started strolling up the entrance as well, followed by Chad and Ishida. The prickling transformed into full blown flaming tingles down her spine. An instinctive rage made her clench a roof tile, smashing it into dust.

_Control yourself. It's just some Soul Reapers and a Quincy… I'm not entirely sure what the big guy is though. _Custos Fortis assured her, curiosity leaking in his voice.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!" Tatsuki yelled, desperately attempting to keep her spiritual pressure in check and get in control of herself. The primal instincts were coursing throughout her, triggering her spiky hair to actually stand up, looking much like a wolf that has been threatened. She shut her eyes, trying to relax her tense muscles. She wasn't having much luck. A low, animal-like growl erupted from her throat, echoing among the rooftops and into the courtyard below.

_Shit, I told you to shut up. Damn, now we need to get out of here. Luckily for us, a Hollow has decided to show up at the perfect time. Hopefully the Soul Reapers will think that growl just came from the Hollow. Hurry up, damnit, we need to leave… NOW! _Tatsuki flashed from her spot, feeling the urgency in Custos Fortis' words. Diving behind another rooftop, Tatsuki leaned out and saw Ichigo inspecting the spot she was just at. Glancing down at the people below, she saw that the spiritual fighters were all missing except for Orihime. The said girl was being half-dragged, half-lead off the school grounds by Michiru. Ryo, Mahana, and Chizuru were already marching down the busy sidewalk.

"We need to check out that Hollow before it can do any damage." Tatsuki whispered to herself, feeling Custos Forits about to object. "I'm a Guardian and I'm not going to let a _Soul Reaper_," Tatsuki spat out in disgust, "screw up MY job." That quieted her sword immediately and she began to sense him agreeing with her logic.

_Let's go hunt us a Hollow._

_

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_

**Alright, I hope you enjoyed that. Next Chap. will include Orihime finding out a little about what has happened since she left, and Tatsuki having to kick a Hollow's ass while trying to avoid Ichigo. Hope you like it and REVIEW! It is anynomis so there should be nothing stopping you!**

**-JZ**


	9. Ignore It 'til It Goes Away

**Okay, I don't have too much to say here. Just keep up the good work on those REVIEWS! I get a smirk on my face from reading even the simplest of REVIEWS. It gives me inspiration to know that someone reads my story and I'm not just writing this for myself. I have to admit, I kinda lost my way with my other stories but this is quickly helping me find my way back. My imagination is being slowly restored! Thank you all who are REVIEWING and reading. Remember I also except PMs! and reviews are now also ANONYMOUS! **

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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"Orihime! It's great to finally see you again! I can't believe that you're back!" Michiru sang out, excitedly returning the other girl's hug. She kept her arms held tight around the orange-haired girl, afraid that if she let go the girl would leave again.

"Thank you Michiru. I'm glad to be back." Orihime squeaked out, becoming suffocated by the strong embrace.

"It is good to see you Orihime." Ryo stated, only allowing a tiny bit of relief to seep into her voice. Orihime glanced ad Chizuru with a questioning look, Michiru was still clinging to her. Normally Chizuru would have attempted to grope her when Orihime hugged her, or at least made some sort of remark by now.

"She is afraid Tatsuki is watching." Mahana said bluntly, pointing up at the sky. "You never really know where she could come from." Not finding the statement bizarre at all, Orihime's face lit up at the first mention of Tatsuki.

"Where is Tatsuki?" She asked, swinging her head around wildly, both hopeful but so clueless. Michiru released her and lowered her gaze, unable to look Orihime in the eyes.

"I thought Tatsuki called you?" Chizuru questioned, speaking for the first time. Her voice was on edge, strained to remain even. She was terrified to return Orihime's hug from fear that the action would be taken as a sign of sexual harassment. Chizuru no longer played around with Tatsuki, she knew that the other girl was dead serious now… and probably would kill her.

"No, my uh… Aunt's phone was… broke." Orihime lied, feeling guilt already begin to munch away at her insides like a horde of zombie hamsters. The other girls were silent, exchanging knowing glances.

"Let's walk you home." Chizuru offered, not even a hint of sexual innuendo, yet she didn't get within five feet of Orihime and would periodically glance from side to side.

"I better wait for Tatsuki; she'll be so excited!" Orihime squealed out, beyond thrilled for the reunion with her best friend.

"She already left." Ryo informed her.

"No she has Karate practice at the dojo after school." The orange blonde insisted, laughing at their silliness.

"Orihime, trust me. She left already." Ryo assured her, already starting to catch up with Chizuru who was waiting by the gate. Mahana was quickly on her heels, and the three of them started to make their way down the crowded sidewalk.

"But why wouldn't she go to practice?" Orihime questioned, red flags flying up in her mind. Tatsuki competed with a broken arm, nothing could make her miss practice. Orihime looked at Michiru, panic in her voice. "What's going on?"

"We'll tell you at your place okay?" Michiru said softly, and began to gently tug the girl towards the group that were halfway down the street.

When they arrived, Orihime automatically apologized for the mess and began to hastily pick things up. She hadn't really cleaned the apartment since she got back and was embarrassed by the amount of dust and items lying around. But her actions weren't fueled by embarrassment; they were filled with a frantic dread. The other girls were exchanging a silent conversation as they sat on the floor. The silence was realized when Orihime dropped a picture of her and Tatsuki and it shattered, creating a loud crashing noise. Michiru quickly got up and started to pick up the glass, while Orihime just stood there… staring at the ground. She felt tears start to swell under her eyes, blurring her vision. The picture was from the park when Tatsuki was too focused on working out that she didn't notice Orihime sneaking up behind her. Suddenly Orihime launched herself and hugged Tatsuki tightly from behind. Her left arm was wrapped around Tatsuki abdomen, and she remembered clinging onto Tatsuki's toned abs for balance. Her other arm shot out and snapped a lightning fast picture. It ended up showing Orihime practically on top of Tatsuki, while they both had goofy grins. That was her favorite picture, and now she broke it…

"It's okay Orihime; we'll just get a new frame." Michiru told her, tenderly lifting up the broken frame. "Why don't you just sit down?" Orihime sat down, sucking in slow deep breaths.

"Tell me what's going on." She said clearly. "If you guys don't tell me right now… I'll… I'll go over to Tatsuki's and I know her mom will let me wait until she gets home."

"Orihime," Chizuru shook her head slowly. "Tatsuki's parents were murdered." Michiru set the photo down and gave Orihime's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"H-how is that… when… why? Who did it?" She questioned rapidly, unsure how to react to her best friend's parents being killed while she was away. "Where is Tatsuki staying?"

"Slow down there." Michiru told her, rubbing her shoulder to calm the girl. "It was a home invasion. Police said that the robber must have been waiting. They never found the guy. I'm guessing that's why Tatsuki is so…" She trailed off.

"So what?"

"She's just changed. You'll have to see for yourself. She is still living at the house; she didn't really have anywhere to go. She quit Karate a couple days after she returned to school." Michiru told her, hurt lacing her voice.

"How has she been?" Orihime asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She had a difficult time imagining Tatsuki so alone, in pain, with nowhere to go. A sudden urge to hug Tatsuki and never let go, attacked Orihime full force.

"We wouldn't know. She hasn't said anything to us for a while. We're just lucky if she'll say even so much as hello." Mahana informed, letting out a sigh. "All she ever does is go to school, sleep in a tree, go back to class, and go home. She was gone for a week after the funeral…"

"And she returned as this silent, stoic Tatsuki. It is actually worrisome. She has changed so much in so little time." Ryo pondered aloud, not noticing the clear tears rolling down Orihime's face.

"I need to talk to her. I need to see her." Orihime told them, standing up and straightening her skirt. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to go look for Tatsuki." The others got up as well and made their way to the door. They all said their goodbyes and bid her good luck, knowing that Orihime was the only one who could possibly help Tatsuki. Just as they stepped out, Chizuru turned back to her.

"Orihime… please just be careful. I don't know what has happened to Tatsuki, but she isn't the same person that you knew. She's dangerous." Chizuru warned, quickly turning away and chasing after the others.

Orihime locked her door, replaying Chizuru's warning in her head. It bothered her that the lesbian was so terrified of Tatsuki now. No matter how much Tatsuki beat her, she always came back for more. But now, Orihime wasn't even groped or inappropriately spoken to once. More worry controlling her actions, she took off at a jog towards Tatsuki's house.

**Meanwhile…**

_You better kill this one quick before that Soul Reaper gets in the way. _Custos Fortis shouted just as Tatsuki swung her blade at an unusually repulsive looking Hollow. It was only about ten feet tall and was very scrawny, but what it lacked in muscle it made up in abilities. So far the thing had used some form of flash, duplicated itself, created an outer armor, and most of all… pissed Tatsuki off. She was panting, feeling a strain in her shoulder from her previous attempt to smash through the armor.

"Loooooky whatttts we gotsss herrre…" It hissed out, a forked tongue licking its lips. "You sssseem to beee ssssmarrter than thhhat Ssssoul Reaperrrr…" A husky roar erupted from its belly as it charged at her. Standing her ground, she closed her eyes and breathed. Just as the monster was inches from her throat (she could smell the decay on its breath) she sliced straight through the neck and head. Instead of going directly through the armor this time, she went under it at an angle.

"That's what you get for comparing me to a Soul Reaper." She whispered over her shoulder, already walking away from the battle scene. Her shoulder was sore and achy, but it wasn't anything a good night's sleep couldn't fix (hence four hours of sleep). She could feel Ichigo bounding closer. He would have been the one to kill the Hollow if he wasn't such a moron that he fell for its trap. She opted for just phasing back to her human form; it would be easier than having to outrun him. He was such a nuisance.

Phasing back, she felt a burning as the tattoos started to appear on her back. But after phasing so much, the burn simply assured her that her phasing was nearly complete. Her breath fogged up as she exhaled, even though it was a relatively warm night. That small action as well had taught her that the ends of her hair were finished turning white. And finally, the only thing that still bothered her at times, her eyes changed to the steely emotionless gray. She felt an uncomfortable crawling in her eyeballs, and everything started to turn shades of black and white. She wanted to rub them, attempt to stop the sandpaper sensation, but she knew by now that it would do no good. Within thirty seconds, she was human again.

"I smell something good." She drooled out, abruptly turning her head towards the heavenly aroma.

_Damn, I'm starved. Get something good… No, get a lot of good things. I'm so hungry I could eat a… well I can eat a lot so just order some damned food. _Custos Fortis told her, whimpers ricocheting off her mind. Tatsuki started to rattle off some things when an odd feeling hit her. It knocked her out of breath, and made her look around. Shaking it off, she thanked the guy and took her number. In a few minutes, she walked out of the little restaurant with six bags of food. She began to walk towards the river and decided on taking the long way back to her house. _And why are you moseying along like you've got led in your shoes? I'm hungry and I want to eat now. _

"Because I need to." She hissed back, taken by surprise from her own answer. "I don't know why, but it just feels like someone needs me… that's all." Custos Fortis let out an understanding "oh" and laughed a little. "What?"

_I just thought that you said you didn't want to talk to your "friend," that's all. _He explained, still laughing.

"I don't. What would make you think—"

"Tatsuki!" A familiar voice called out, a hint of panic escaping through the excited tone. Tatsuki suddenly felt the odd sensation shift into a relieved one. She didn't realize how tense she was until Orihime put her hand on Tatsuki's shoulder. "Hey Tatsuki, you there?" She giggled, waving a hand in front of Tatsuki.

"Oh, yeah… uh, you're back." Tatsuki said, unable to keep all of the happiness hidden.

"Yup…" There was an awkward silence that seemed to suffocate Tatsuki. "I'm sorry Tatsuki." Orihime told her, staring into Tatsuki's eyes, attempting to convey all of her emotions of regret and sympathy in a single gaze. But Tatsuki broke eye contact, and shifted the bags a little.

"You hungry? I've got some food here." She asked nervously, knowing the only way to distract the girl was with some dinner. Orihime's face lit up, and a small smirk pestered Tatsuki's face.

"Yeah! Then you can sleep over and we can talk about ALL the stuff that's happened since I was gone." Orihime said firmly, grabbing Tatsuki's hand and dragging her towards the apartment. Tatsuki was scuffing her feet, unconsciously decreasing her speed until she was almost at a standstill. Orihime pretended not to notice, but when they were coming up the sidewalk towards her door, Tatsuki stopped dead in her tracks. "Do you want me to carry a bag?"

"No, I'm fine." Tatsuki said, unmoving.

"Okay, then let's go inside." Orihime urged her, tugging Tatsuki's wrist insistently. "Please Tatsuki, we really need to talk." And that sentence snapped something in Tatsuki.

"No, I can't stay. I'm sorry, but I have somewhere to be. Here." Tatsuki said emotionlessly, loading Orihime up with food before the other girl could protest.

"But Tatsuki, I thought—"

"I can't… I just… can't." She whispered, already jogging down the street. Her muscles were twitching and she had that feeling of claustrophobia attack her. She could almost feel Orihime's emotions, they were so strong. It was so foreign to her, and she would have rather faced a thousand Hollows blindfolded than go into that house. After running for the better part of an hour, Tatsuki glanced around. She couldn't remember where she was but she lent up against a wall and panted.

"I'm not human… I'm not… I just shouldn't have to deal with this crap anymore. Damnit! Why does it hurt?" She panted out, aware of a tormenting pain still in her chest. It was the same empty cave she hid from the world. The agony she felt after her parents' death and Orihime's disappearance. It was that insistent hole she covered from the world and wrapped it so tightly she couldn't be hurt again. But now the bandages had loosened, and she knew eventually Orihime would try to heal her. Just like the girl healed everyone that was injured, the only difference was… Tatsuki didn't want it anymore. She just wanted to protect the girl, and she was happy with that.

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**So Tatsuki isn't quite ready to face the reality of emotions... yet? I don't know :P But i'll be sure to post the next chapter soon. Keep up the good reviews! **

**-JZ**


	10. Stay Away

**Hope you like this chapter! Enjoy and leave a review!**

**I don't own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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_Get up, you're going to be late! Damn it, I said WAKE YOUR LAZY ASS UP NOW! _Custos Fortis shouted, seething with annoyance. Tatsuki slowly began to drag herself awake. The previous night tumbled back to her like a waterfall. She remembered running from Orihime, running until she couldn't recognize her surroundings. Then she recalled returning to her house, rather hastily, and making a beeline for the training area. She decided to pay that place a little visit, and release some pent up energy. Soon, five minutes turned into an hour, one hour turned into five, and now here she was, waking up with less than half an hour of sleep to run off of. Standing, she began to stretch. An abrupt pain shot through her shoulder and she immediately recoiled.

"Damn, I must not have gotten enough sleep to heal up all the way." She grumbled, half conscious. With deliberate cautiousness, she timidly rolled her shoulder in its socket. The entire joint stung, and it cracked several times in protest. Rubbing it slightly, she flashed to the bathroom to get ready. Ten minutes later, she was out the door. She glanced around after a while and noticed exactly which path she had mistakenly taken. But before she could correct herself, fate seemed to have other ideas.

"Tatsuki! I'm so glad you came by here." Orihime squealed excitedly; she was immediately aware of the exhaustion hidden behind the mysterious girl's mask. Voting on letting it pass for now, in order to NOT push Tatsuki farther away, Orihime ignored it. "Tatsuki, I really missed you. You know that right?" Tatsuki and Orihime were walking side by side down the sidewalk, gradually approaching the school. Tatsuki walked with her hands in her jacket pockets, staring straight ahead with a somber face.

"I know. It's not like you wanted to go." Tatsuki mumbled, but the other girl shot her a perplexed expression. Quickly Tatsuki remembered that Orihime didn't know that the Guardian knew about the situation… or that Tatsuki was even a Guardian for that matter. "I mean, your Aunt did kinda spring it on you… you couldn't really just say no." She covered detachedly, eyes filled with sorrow that for some reason, she couldn't conceal whilst in Orihime's presence.

"Oh yeah… Hey Tatsuki?"

"Hmm?" The Guardian responded half-heartedly, trying to stop the flutter in her stomach that sent a sickening pleasure throughout her body. The pleasure was like waving a steak in front of a starving dog that is too weak to eat. The "pleasure" was now just a sadistic way that the world seemed to use in order to laugh in her face.

"What happened to your hair?" Orihime questioned, grabbing one of the discolored spikes and examining it carefully. "Did you stand out in the snow or something?" Tatsuki fought a blush as she felt the other girl's warm breath tickle her neck. She was so close that Tatsuki couldn't concentrate on the question at hand, or where they were for that matter.

"Uh, um… w-what'd you ask?" She stuttered out, mind drawing a blank. The long-haired girl giggled, clearly enjoying catching Tatsuki so unfocused.

"What happened to your hair?" She giggled, releasing the lock of hair she had been grasping.

"Nothin'…" Tatsuki murmured, concentrating on subduing her blush. Glancing up from her shoes for the first time in fifteen minutes, she noticed that they were actually on school grounds. "Time to head to class. I'll see ya around."

"What do you mean? We have the same classes Tatsuki." Orihime laughed, finding her friend completely silly.

"I think you should just go catch up with the others." Tatsuki muttered, ambling towards the classroom. Orihime grabbed her wrist, planning on pulling Tatsuki to the side of the hallway. To her surprise, Tatsuki didn't even register the grip and just continued walking.

"Tatsuki! Wait, I wanted to talk to you before class." Orihime nearly pleaded, causing a guilty feeling to pester Tatsuki. I shouldn't be plagued by fruitless emotions, Tatsuki growled to herself lowly.

"Fine…" Tatsuki finally caved, allowing Orihime to pull her to the side of the hallway. The school didn't have many people inside yet, since it was still pretty early. "What is it?"

"Tatsuki I just…" Orihime took a deep breath, composing herself. "Chizuru warned me about you. Everyone said that you've changed, that you have become a stranger. But Chizuru… she told me to be careful around you. She thinks that you are dangerous, actually dangerous." Orihime stared Tatsuki straight in the eyes, fear swirling within her heavenly pupils. Tatsuki lowered her head slightly, an unreadable expression overtaking her features.

"She's right."

"No she isn't. I don't exactly know what is going on with you or what all had happened while I was gone, but I do know one thing for sure. You could never hurt me." Orihime finished, searching for some sign of emotion. She was greeted with cold, empty eyes.

"You are wrong. I have changed beyond recognition. I am dangerous, very dangerous. And if you know what's good for you, then you will stay away from me." Tatsuki was vibrating with rage, a rage that Orihime had never seen within her friend before. The shorter girl began to shake her head in disagreement. Suddenly Tatsuki slammed her fist into the locker just to the left of Orihime's head, triggering her to jump. "Listen to me. I. AM. BAD. FOR. YOU." She enunciated each word, a threat looming in her voice. Only Orihime could sense the pain behind the empty warning.

"You are so stubborn." Orihime shook her head, a sad smile. She was trapped between the lockers and Tatsuki, their faces mere inches apart. Tatsuki was leaning against the lockers with her weight resting on her hands. She wanted Orihime to look into her eyes and fear what was hidden in there… But the other girl had other ideas. Without hesitation, Orihime hugged Tatsuki tightly. She nuzzled her face in the taller girl's neck and snaked her arms around her muscular back. Tatsuki froze, unsure of what to do. She remained still as Orihime squeezed as tightly as she could.

"I… I'm telling you to stay away…" Tatsuki whispered and tried to move away.

"And I'm telling you no." And Orihime hung on to Tatsuki, tears soaking the jacket of the other girl's neck. They stood there for what seemed like hours, but in reality were only minutes. Tatsuki never returned the embrace, but she didn't pull away again. She just stood there, leaning on her hands with a beautiful girl hanging off her body. "Thank you."

"N-n-no problem." Tatsuki stammered out, face turning a bright red from the compromising position they were in. Tatsuki let a soft smile greet her face and chuckled a little. "But it's time to go to class now." Orihime sighed, but released the Guardian. The bell rang causing Orihime to shriek. Quickly the girl snatched the sleeve of a still dazed Tatsuki, and began to drag her to the classroom.

School was boring and all they did was listen to the instructor give his lecture and repeat the same things over and over again. Most of the class was asleep, or doodling in their notebooks except for two people. One was Orihime, who surprising enough was paying attention to the lecture, and the other being Tatsuki, who couldn't get the orange haired enigma off her mind. Finally the lunch bell rang out and the teacher gave a retort about wishing it had rung hours sooner. He wasn't a very good teacher and didn't really even like teaching…

"Tatsuki, eat with us." Orihime told the warrior, breaking her out of her trance. Oddly enough, only Orihime noticed the exhaustion and sorrow behind the broken soldier.

"No thanks." Tatsuki huffed out, standing and stretching, momentarily forgetting about her shoulder. It was aching and cracked loudly, creating a wince to flash over her face before she could hide it completely. Orihime saw it though and let concern wash over her features.

"Then eat with me." She quipped laughingly; the other girls had given up already and were probably just getting to the tree. Tatsuki let out a loud huff and her shoulders slumped defeatedly.

"Fine…" Tatsuki didn't understand why she had broken down so easily, perhaps it was the fatigue or maybe even the shock of the morning events were still clouding her judgment, but she did know that she shouldn't be allowing herself to get this close.

"Great, let's go!" Orihime cheered; grabbing the front of Tatsuki's jacket haphazardly with one hand, the over excited girl led her to the eating area. A bright smile danced across Orihime's face as she spoke animatedly about how much she had missed them all, but Tatsuki wasn't really listening. She was far too engrossed in the happiness radiating off the girl, and reluctantly a tired smile made a home on Tatsuki's face as well. It was a bit strained and the motion was certainly out of practice, but it was a smile no less and Orihime was proud to see it.

"Do you want to share lunch?" Orihime broke her thoughts once again, and Tatsuki realized that they were at the lunch spot. Slowly Tatsuki sat down, on knee bent and the other resting lazily flat on the ground, next to Orihime, but she left a safety distance between her and the harmless girl. The others eyed her confusedly, utterly stunned that Tatsuki was on the ground rather than in a tree.

"Uh, no thank you. I'm fine." Tatsuki assured her. It was odd being thrown back into the fray of human interactions, and Tatsuki was finding it even more difficult to understand Orihime's specific actions. They didn't always make much sense.

"Come on, it's good. It is my special bread with chicken and peanut butter!" Everyone gave a grimace and Tatsuki didn't know exactly what to say. "I made the bread secret ingredients!" Orihime leaned into Tatsuki and rested one hand on the inside seam of Tatsuki's jeans unthinkingly, and the other wrapped around Tatsuki's neck to tug her forward slightly. "I used mayo, soy sauce, and horse radish." She whispered, unaware of the heat rising in Tatsuki's face at the firm pressure on the Guardian's toned thigh and the close proximity of their lips.

"…great…" Tatsuki squeaked out, causing Mahana and Ryo to stifle a laugh. Tatsuki shot them both a glare, but it couldn't really be taken seriously when Orihime was practically on top of her. The bell rang and Orihime gave out a little pout.

"Come over tonight?" She asked sweetly, and Tatsuki was finding it very difficult to resist. Slipping her hand an inch higher and pressing slightly firmer, Orihime gave her a pleading look. "Please?" Tatsuki's eyes went wide. How could she know? Tatsuki thought. Was that on purpose?

"Fine..." Orihime jumped off of Tatsuki and gathered her stuff. Laughing, she looked at Tatsuki and cocked her head. "Are we going back to class, or just sitting here all day?"

"Oh yeah, right." Tatsuki shook her head, dispelling continuous thoughts of a dazzling girl with long hair and sparkling eyes.

"Great, can't wait for tonight!" Orihime giggled and they headed back to the classroom to serve out the rest of the day.

"Yeah… can't wait…" Tatsuki muttered under her breath as she trailed behind.

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**Next chapter will be about Tatsuki going to Orihime's. Who knows what might happen. And... do you think Orihime is aware of Tatsuki's crush? Or that perhaps it was coincidents? Or maybe Orihime just wanted to be close to Tatsuki so badly that even though she didn't completely understand the actions, she saw them as her only option? Who knows? :P**

**REVIEW**

**-JZ**


	11. Long Roads

**I know it has been a while, to be honest I actually thought I had put this up already... oops? Hope you like it and leave a REVIEW!**

**-I don't own Bleach And yes, I am a person who thinks Tatsuki has powers to kick ass too.**

**-JZ**

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Time. Sometimes it crawls along, dragging its feet like a puppy to its first vet appointment. Other times, it can pass us by faster than the speed of light. But one property of time remains the same… it is universally agreed that time is never on someone's side. Whether that be a ten year old, complaining about how long six years will take before they can drive themselves to the movies and dates. Or an old man crying because the life he had with his wife is now over, seemingly in a blink of an eye. Time is the one thing that we cannot control, cannot fight. And time happened to be the criminal again, striking in broad daylight amongst hundreds of witnesses.

"Come on Tatsuki; don't drag your feet all day." Orihime whined, trying to pull the reluctant girl. "If we don't hurry, I won't have time to cook dinner."

"And that would be a shame…" Tatsuki mumbled under her breath, allowing the spunky schoolgirl to tug her around like a puppy on a leash. "Perhaps we should do this another night?"

"No, you promised Tatsuki." Orihime reminded, doing her best to glare at the offending idea. "Please hurry up? I really want to rent this movie before they're all gone. It's about this man who lost his entire family to a government experiment. Then when he learns that his best friend had set him up, the entire world is about to be taken over by zombies! And then, the zombies attack him. And then, he sees his wife and daughter, but they are both zombies! And then—"

"You sound like you've seen it before?" Tatsuki said, an amused smile ghosting across her face. But after a moment, the Guardian was thrown back into reality, the small grin replaced with an unidentifiable expression.

"What happened to you?" Orihime whispered, her voice small and frightened. She looked into Tatsuki's eyes, trying to find a speck of the friend she had unwillingly left behind. Instead of the hotheaded, determined Tatsuki that she had come to love, there was only a wall there. At the sound of her question, Tatsuki's jaw visibly tightened.

"You first…" She muttered, not even glancing at the, now somber, schoolgirl. Orihime's heart sped up, fear at the prospect that Tatsuki might know about her world.

"What are you talking about?" She tried to play it off, a nervous chuckle coming out in short awkward breaths.

"We should really hurry… It'll be dark soon." Tatsuki said offhandedly. "And you never know what might be hiding in the darkness…." She whispered, more to herself than the girl next to her. When they reached the video rental store, Tatsuki opened the door for Orihime, offering a small nod of courtesy.

"Here it is! Look, one copy left. See, aren't you glad I made you hurry?" The overly excited lass cheered as she practically skipped around an unenthused Guardian.

"I'm relieved…" She deadpanned, grabbing the movie out of Orihime's hands without any effort.

"Hey! Tatsuki, what are you doing?" The strawberry blonde pouted, silently impressed by Tatsuki's reflexes.

"Paying… Now let's go." Orihime stuck her lip out slightly, then trotted after Tatsuki as the warrior started out the door.

"What should I make tonight?" Orihime wondered aloud, tapping her index finger on her chin absentmindedly after they neared her residence. Suddenly she felt a strong pull, and was cast to the cold hard ground.

"Damn it." Was all the schoolgirl heard before a loud screeching and noisy horn echoed throughout the empty evening. Orihime stared in horror as she saw a small blue car try to hit on its breaks, but it was way too late. As if in slow motion, she saw Tatsuki jump a little to reduce the impact, but still… the warrior was flung into the air, shattered glass raining all around her.

"Tatsuki…" Orihime whispered, shock sending waves of numbness through her body. She didn't feel the light specks of blood oozing from a scrape on her elbow, or the bruise that would surly form on her tailbone. To her amazement, Tatsuki landed on her feet… more or less. The battered warrior managed to twist one foot beneath her body as her other knee hit the road. She watched as Tatsuki shook her head, effectively spraying red liquid all along the sidewalk. "TATSUKI!"

"I'm alright." Tatsuki assured her, dusting off her pants as she stood up. The car door opened up in a whirlwind and a middle aged man jumped out hurriedly. He looked like he had had a little too much coffee, hands shaking and eyes darting from Tatsuki to Orihime.

"B-but… W-what happened?" His confusion resulted in a smirk crossing Tatsuki's face. Orihime gazed up at her friend in horror, not seeing any possible humor in this situation.

"You almost hit my… friend." Tatsuki caught herself, ensuring that she used the term friend instead of the phrase "my Orihime."

"But my windshield cracked… I know I hit someone." He was practically crying, terrified at the prospect of jail.

"I guess you might have… but I don't know. Maybe you just hit a bird or something." The Guardian shrugged, not paying any mind to the blood dripping off one side of her face. "I think it's your lucky day. Now get back in your car, go home, hug your wife, and tell her that you just hit some bird that flew right in front of you. Sound good?" The man nodded, unable to express his gratitude.

"But your head… you've probably got a concussion…" He spoke worriedly. Tatsuki touched the wound for the first time, seemingly just realizing it.

"I'm a fast healer. I'll be fine. Now go home, before I change my mind." Her voice was steel, still staring at her blood covered fingers.

"Thank you." He whispered, bowing his head nearly to the floor. Then he jogged to his car and started to speed away. Tatsuki observed him until she shifted her emotionless gaze to her… "friend" on the ground. With an unconscious gulp, she whisked Orihime off her feet and started to walk towards the apartment. It was silent while she carried, a seemingly in shock, Orihime down the empty street. When they were only a couple minutes from the residency, she felt a warm hand brush some of the spikes out of her eyes. Closing her eyes, Tatsuki reveled in the warmth and tenderness of those soft fingers gently caressing her wound.

"Always protecting me…" Orihime said, trying to hide the sorrow in her voice, but her eyes gave her away. Tatsuki didn't even need to look into those pools of kindness and love to see the sadness.

"It's my job." Was all the warrior offered, knowing that the other girl didn't have any idea how true that statement was. By that time, they had reached the door to a nice little house and Tatsuki finally allowed Orihime to stand again, but keeping a close eye on her.

"I'm not the one who got hit by a car." Orihime reminded her while unlocking the door to the cozy house. Tatsuki knew that it was time to activate her new plan… Or even Orihime would begin to suspect something and start asking questions; Tatsuki didn't want to answer those questions.

"Who got hit by a car?" She asked, raising one eyebrow in feigned questioning. "You must have hit your head a little harder than I thought…" She couldn't even look the innocent girl in the eyes, knowing that she would be unable to hide the truth from Orihime if the schoolgirl locked eye contact. Tatsuki ambled into the house stiffly. It felt too warm, too cozy, too much like a home… Her skin began to crawl, yet it wasn't unpleasant.

"I saw you. You pushed me out of the way and then the car hit you." Orihime argued, getting confused. "I saw you."

"You saw me push you out of the way, yeah, but I jumped to the other side…" Tatsuki shook her head, as if Orihime's words weren't the truth but a product of a child's overactive imagination. "You should go lay down."

"No, I know what I saw. Then how did you get that cut on your head?" She continued to argue. This wasn't the Orihime that Tatsuki normally saw… she was stronger somehow…. But that didn't matter because right now, Tatsuki really wanted Orihime to drop the subject. "I'm getting you an ice pack. Maybe YOU should be the one to lie down." Before the warrior could object, the other girl scampered off to the kitchen in search of an ice pack.

"So how was your trip? You never really mentioned it much?" Tatsuki asked loudly, ensuring that the other girl could hear her.

"Uh… ummm… it was alright. I met a lot of interesting people." Orihime said brightly, smiling softly as she reentered the room and placed the cold pack on Tatsuki's head.

"Hey, watch it." The macho Guardian grumbled playfully. Orihime giggled but still said an apology. It was almost relaxing… The room was warm; that was definitely different from the fifty degree temperature of Tatsuki's house, and being within this house wasn't as painful as she thought it would be. The memories proving to make a long lost smile creep onto her face.

"I'm sorry I left without telling you. It was very sudden." Orihime said softly, one hand holding the ice pack to Tatsuki's forehead while the other caressed the warrior's chin gently.

"I know you're sorry." Tatsuki sighed, turning away from the girl. "I should have been there…"

"Tatsuki… can… can you tell me what happened to your parents?" Orihime questioned tentatively, trying to regain the Guardian's focus. Tatsuki stood up and turned her back to the blonde, posture rigid and hands clenched. "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk about it…"

"There isn't much to say. They were killed. They died. End of story." Her voice was harsh and curt, the pain in her chest exposed momentarily before Tatsuki replaced the sorrow with an emotionless tone.

"Mahana says that you've changed. Why do you hate Ichigo?" Orihime stood as well, her hand tenderly grasping the other girl's sleeve. "Please…?" Tatsuki chuckled, shaking her head.

"So they told you about what I did to Michiru and Keigo? And you're still sticking around? I'm a danger to you…" She sounded tired, world wary. Her shoulders relaxed as Orihime hugged her from behind. The warmth soaking through her jacket and shirt, even into the tattoo embedded in her back.

"You were mad… but you could never hurt me. I know that." Orihime's voice was muffled slightly as she nuzzled into the collar of Tatsuki's rough jacket, and she hugged the girl as tightly as she could. Orihime immediately discovered that Tatsuki's body had become toned beyond belief. She could feel each individual groove of the warrior's abs, the muscles in her shoulder's and neck were rock hard, and even the small contact she had with Tatsuki's biceps have proved that they too had become practically inhuman. "Why do you hate Ichigo so much?"

"I can't tell you… but I know you care about him, so I'll let you in on a secret." Tatsuki's voice was rough, hostility rearing its head. "The next time I see him, I might not be able to stop myself." This warning scared Orihime, not for herself but for Ichigo. She was scared for Ichigo, which was preposterous since he was a Soul Reaper. But something in Tatsuki's voice told her… told her that Ichigo might be in over his head. "It's good that you're afraid, you know? It means that you haven't lost all your survival instincts."

"I'm not afraid of you." Orihime huffed out stubbornly. "Sure I'm a little worried about Ichigo, but not because I think you're a danger to me." Orihime released the fighter and made her way to the kitchen. "Now what do you want for dinner?"

"How about we just order something?" Tatsuki suggested… then thought about it for a moment. "You know what, make anything you want. I'm starved." The Guardian shrugged nonchalantly, no longer concerned about getting food poisoning and dying. Orihime looked taken back for a second, but a huge smile replaced the shocked expression.

"Great!" With that, Orihime skipped around the kitchen, pulling out various foods and spices. Tatsuki walked into the kitchen, jumping up on the counter closest to Orihime. The other girl giggled and rolled her eyes, missing Tatsuki's silliness.

"Whatcha makin'?" Tatsuki asked, peering over Orihime's shoulder as she started chopping something.

"Well, I'm going to dice some salami, onions, trout, mushrooms, apples, and… what else?" Orihime wondered, still cutting up the meet. Tatsuki thought about it, not having to worry about her health anymore was kind of refreshing.

"How about peanut butter and mayo?" She suggested, earning an unusual disgusted face from the schoolgirl.

"Eww… mayo? That's just icky…" Tatsuki raised an eyebrow, amused by the childish vocabulary.

"Icky?"

"Yes, it is icky. Now be quiet, I don't want to poison you. Actually, you're normally so against me cooking…" Orihime held a suspicious tone, eyeing Tatsuki over her shoulder.

"Let's just say that I don't think anything you make me will be able kill me anymore." She said mysteriously. "I've earned a steel stomach."

"Really? And here I was hoping that you just realized how amazing my cooking is." Orihime spoke with mirth in her voice. "Ouch." She yelped, not paying attention as the knife cut her finger. Tatsuki hopped off the countertop and was immediately at her side. The warrior took her hand and examined it. Her rough calloused hands tenderly tugging Orihime towards the sink.

"You're so clumsy…" She muttered under her breath, turning the sink on and placing Orihime's hand under the cold stream.

"It's freezing!" The girl recoiled, but was held in place by Tatsuki's firm, yet gentle, grip.

"Just hold still." After about a minute, Tatsuki turned the water off and wrapped a towel around Orihime's hand. "You should be more careful." Orihime didn't really hear Tatsuki's grumbling, she was far too distracted by the amazing person holding her hand. They were so close; Orihime could feel Tatsuki's cooler body. The sensation was relaxing and made her feel safe. "Are you listening to me?" Tatsuki asked finally, realizing that the other girl was lost in thought. "Orihime?"

"Shh…" Orihime tugged Tatsuki closer, her good hand gripping the Guardian's shirt.

"What are you doing?" Tatsuki asked, baffled at the actions.

"Stop talking…" Orihime said dreamily, stopping any further questions as she connected their lips. Tatsuki didn't react, she actually froze completely, but Orihime was too distracted by the intoxicating aura of her protector. Orihime didn't even think about what she was doing, the kiss continued slowly and sensually.

"Orihime…" Tatsuki's protests were muffled, and she nearly gave in to her desire to return the kiss. It was overwhelming… the smell of Orihime's strawberry shampoo, the soft warm touch of her skin, the tender lips locked with her own… Tatsuki couldn't take it anymore. Her will power started to break further as Orihime became more passionate. Finally the dam broke, and Tatsuki started kissing back with repressed fever.

"Tatsuki…" She moaned at the sensation of her warrior returning the kiss finally. But her voice snapped the Guardian from her trance.

"We can't do this." Tatsuki said firmly, untangling herself from the beautiful blonde. "I'm sorry."

"You don't want to?" Orihime asked, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Tatsuki clenched her jaw, hurting by how much pain she saw in the eyes of her Charge.

"Trust me. I do want to… but we can't. One day, you will understand." She explained, looking away and heading towards the door. "I'm sorry. And put a bandage on that hand."

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**Had to start the Romance ;) Hope you liked it and again, sorry for the delay in update. I seriously thought I already put this on. Review or PM! Thanks!**

**-JZ**


	12. I Don't Understand Me

**So this chapter has a lot of ups and down... so try to keep up. I would like to thank a very loyal reader who took it upon themself to actually tell me to get off my ass. It is thanks to you that I have completed this chapter and I am looking forward to your review. I hope you enjoy it. And Thank You to everyone else who is reading this. I appreciate it and please leave a REVIEW! I have EnAbled Anonomys reviews, so don't be shy! Also, I gladly accept PMs (private messages) too! On with the story!**

**I don't own Bleach...**

**-JZ**

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"You two kissed?" Rukia asked, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. "Like, actual kissing?" She fumbled to think of a sentence, wishing to clarify the previous discovery.

"Yes." Orihime sighed, remembering the previous night and sorrow coated her normally cheerful face.

"You're unhappy about that?" Rukia wondered aloud, trying to get more information out of the girl.

"I am very happy! It was amazing… but…" She trailed off; thinking about Tatsuki's parting statement.

"But what? Orihime, you told me you had a crush on her for a while, so what's the problem?" The soul reaper was exasperated, yet excited for her best friend.

"Tatsuki says that we "cant' do this" and that I will "understand one day"." Orihime quoted the words the Guardian had told her less than 24 hours ago. She hadn't seen Tatsuki at all, and school had just ended.

"That doesn't even make sense. Tatsuki is totally in love with you." Rukia assured the lovesick school girl, frustrated at the fighter's reluctance. "I'm about to go and knock some sense into that girl."

"Rukia, a lot has happened since we've left." Orihime whispered solemnly, not meeting the petite girl's questioning gaze.

"What do you—"

"Hey Rukia, Orihime, how's it going?" Ichigo called as he walked over to them.

"Shut up Ichigo, we're talking about something important." Rukia glared at him, making him put up his hands up in defense.

"Sorry, jeez… what's so important anyways? Orihime come up with a new recipe?" He joked, completely missing the intense atmosphere.

"Well to be honest, yes I did come up with a new recipe. Would you like to try it? It's made with whip cream, butter, fish, and banana peels." Orihime told him, distracting herself from the conversation, and silently hoping to change the subject. Rukia sighed.

"No, we were talking about Tatsuki and how weird she's been acting." Rukia told him, thwacking him in the back of the head.

"Ouch, hey!" He shouted, rubbing his head before getting back to the topic. "Well I can't say that I know what you guys are talking about. I haven't even seen her except in class once or twice." He muttered, just realizing his lack of communication with his oldest friend. "Is she still mad at us for leaving or something?" He felt guilty, especially with how he abandoned his oldest friend. He knew she deserved better than that.

"No… well, I don't know if that is it." Orihime said softly, biting her lip. "Something bad happened while we were in Hueco Mundo."

"What?" Ichigo was immediately alert, any signs of joking or goofiness gone.

"What happened?" Rukia looked slightly less panicked, but fear still clung to her tone. Though she and Tatsuki were not exactly BFFs, they were still friends and Rukia cared for her.

"Tatsuki's parents died." Orihime said in a rush, finding it nearly impossible to say. Ichigo froze, taking in what he'd just heard. He was stunned, and Rukia helped him sit on the bench that was next to them.

"I-it it's just n-not possible… T-they… n-no… H-how?" He finally settled with, eyes shining with tears, yet they didn't fall. He hurt so much… he couldn't imagine how Tatsuki felt.

"Home invasion I guess…" Orihime whispered, crying silently. Ichigo stood up abruptly.

"I need to go talk to Tatsuki." He said firmly, running off in the general direction of the Guardian's house.

"ICHIGO! Wait!" Rukia shouted. "There's a—" He felt it before she finished. A strong hollow was making its way towards the school. It was emitting a very powerful spiritual pressure, and he knew that this was a more pressing issue and must be dealt with immediately.

"Damn it." He swore under his breath, changing into his soul reaper form as his body fell to the ground lifelessly. "I guess talking will have to wait."

"Ichigo, we need to lure it away from the school." Rukia told him. Ichigo answered with a nod and flash stepped towards the hollow.

* * *

_A BoneFace. This one is strong too. I don't know if those soul reapers can handle it. _Custos Fortis told her, his strong voice instinctively catching her attention.

"You're right… Those idiots don't have a clue how strong this one is. I bet that Ichigo is just going to charge in there like a fool." Tatsuki chuckled bitterly. She phased and left her lunch, a cup of instant noodles, on the table. She ran quickly, the hollow's position less than a mile from her house.

She could see a monster shooting bone from its arm, while the other limb was used as a spear. It had three-fourths of a mask, a long tongue sticking out as it laughed manically. Wild eyes crossed and rolled lazily within the skull as it swung its spear at a black figure.

"That idiot beat me here… He was still at the damn school." Tatsuki whispered, knowing that she would have to make a choice. It seemed that he was alone, most likely Rukia and Orihime were still at the school protecting his body.

"Waz wrong Soul Reaper? Hahahwaha!" It slurped its tongue around its boney teeth, laughing like a fanatical brute. Ichigo was sweating and panting. It shot more bone spikes at him, forcing him to dodge and use more strength. The speed at which this hollow moved wasn't normal, nor was its density and intellect. As soon as Ichigo dodged, it stabbed its spear at him, nearly impaling him.

"Shit…" He huffed, hitting a roof of a building and jumping to his feet. Tatsuki took a closer look and saw that he had already been hit with a spike in his leg. The impact seemed to actually be draining him of his strength. _He's a soul reaper…_ Custos Fortis reminded her. An instinctive rage coursed through her, making her bare her teeth and growl. She felt hate for Ichigo. He left her unprotected, unknowing of the dangers, and completely defenseless to the evils in the world. Even though she practically stood up for him every day until he could stand up for himself, even though she practically protected him from every danger since they met. He didn't even so much as say thank you. Instead he left her alone to deal with his mess and he endangered HER charge. (wow… were did that come from? Her charge?)

"Ichigo!" Orihime's voice shouted from somewhere not so far away. Damn it, she must have followed him, Tatsuki thought to herself. A sudden pain burst inside of her and she withdrew her blade. Protecting Orihime was top priority and the only way to do that was to destroy that hollow.

"Goood bye… Ssssoul Reaper!" The disgusting creature giggled whilst shooting another bone spike at Ichigo, whom had fallen to his knees in exhaustion. "Hehe, it will keep sucking power until you or I die! And I assure you, you are in nooo condition to kill me!"

"Then I guess I'll have to kill you first." Tatsuki told the hollow, deflecting the spike away with her sword. Immediately after deflecting the spike she swung, hitting the spear that had been expertly aimed for her heart. Hurriedly the hollow hissed and jumped away.

"Annnd who are you?" It asked sadistically, forming more spikes. Its agitation grew as it locked its gaze with Tatsuki's unnerving stare.

"I'm the death of you." Tatsuki said cockily, grinning at the anger her words sparked. Suddenly the monster screeched out a battle cry and shot bullets of bone towards her. She dodge most of them, however, one hit her in the stomach. She pulled it out without as much as a groan, knowing that she couldn't allow her injury to distract her from her purpose.

"Looks like I'll be the one killing you." It laughed, thinking she was as good as dead. A smirk slipped on her face and she made unrestricted eye contact, no longer holding back her merciless gaze. This intimidated the hollow and he fidgeted. "Why aren't you dead! What are you?" It hissed, fear mounting even higher.

"Ichigo? Are you okay?" Orihime's voice came from the street below.

"Sorry I don't have more time to kill you." Tatsuki told the hollow sarcastically, lifting her sword to point directly at it. "I'm much stronger than that pathetic soul reaper. And for your second question… I'm a Guardian." She said evenly and in half a blink she was in front of the hollow. Swinging Custos Fortis with enough force to break the bone spear used as a defense in half, she completely severed the head from the body, making the hollow disintegrate. She smirked and relished in the scream the hollow let out just before it died. _She's coming up the stairs. Quick we need to leave. _Custos Fortis said.

"You're right." Tatsuki agreed and she was gone a second before Orihime made it up to the roof.

"Ichigo!" Orihime yelled when she saw him lying on the floor, not moving.

"Orihime, is he alright?" Rukia's anxious question forced the healer to glimpse over in the direction of the voice. The blonde nodded, still healing Ichigo of his injuries. The spikes were deep, but luckily she managed to get them out before he was zapped of all his strength.

"I think he'll be fine, as long as he rests a bit." She said gently, trying to comfort Rukia. She could tell that Ichigo meant a lot to her, though both of them desperately attempted to play down their feelings.

"Good… that idiot…" Rukia whispered, blushing slightly from her overreaction. An anomaly just occurred to her, making her scrunch her eyebrows in concentration. "Orihime, did you… did you see the hollow when you arrived up here?"

"No, I heard it scream when it died though." She told the soul reaper, not seeing how any of that mattered. A shiver ran down her spine; remembering the sickening scream of the monster almost made her sick.

"That's odd…" Rukia muttered, lost in deep thought. Orihime shook her head, hair flopping around in her face.

"Why? Ichigo got it, which is completely normal." Orihime countered, not understanding the problem.

"Yeah, but didn't you feel his spiritual pressure drop before the hollow's pressure disappeared? Wouldn't that mean that he was unconscious before the hollow even died?" Rukia challenged, not seeing Ichigo begin to stir.

"You need to hold still, I'm still healing you." Orihime told him softly, but he shook his head, trying to arrange his thoughts.

"W-what happened?" He mumbled, glancing around him confusedly.

"You were reckless and got hurt." Rukia growled, angry at his carelessness. He looked away and hung his head.

"That isn't what I meant… That hollow, he should have killed me." Ichigo said, a tone of decisiveness in his voice. It was strange to see him so thoughtful over something.

"Well you are alive so can't we just be happy for that?" Orihime practically begged. She didn't know why, but all she wanted to do was forget the entire event. There was some… pull inside her pleading to just drop the subject. Ichigo and Rukia exchanged concerned looks, but then they just shrugged and chalked it up to Orihime just wanting to keep peace. It was completely understandable that she would want some quiet time after being held hostage for so long.

"Come on Ichigo, let's get you back to you body." Rukia told the injured soul reaper, abandoning her curiosity.

"Thank you Orihime." Tatsuki stated near silently as she watched the scene from a few roof tops away. Glancing down at her stomach, she saw blood still pouring out of the gash. "Why am I not healing?" She questioned Custos Fortis.

_Use your head. You can't just heal magically; you need a source of energy. I suggest you rest and eat something. That BoneFace had a bit of sting to him. _The sword said, a grimace evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry for allowing this to happen. I should have been able to dodge it." Tatsuki berated herself. It caused almost more hurt to know that she was the reason her partner was injured, than the actual wound.

_It's not like you are exactly experienced in this area. You're still new. But luckily for you, I'm here to show you the ropes. _He chuckled, tone cocky and smug.

Tatsuki headed back to her house, phasing into her human form and taking a shower. The water was on the coldest temperature as it cascaded down her back; however, she felt nothing. Her mind was still on the fight. She couldn't shake that sense of hate for Ichigo, yet she had saved him. It would have been equally simple to be just a moment late and allow the hollow to finish him off. She could have let him die… but she didn't. That fact bothered her the most. After about five minutes, she turned the water off and dried her body. The towel was a dark maroon where she wiped it over her abdomen.

"Shit…" She muttered, feeling the pain branch out. Throwing on a pair of dark faded blue jeans, she put a sports bra on and began to gather supplies to take care of her injury. Being a fighter previous to being a Guardian had taught her how to care for injuries. However, few of them were ever this deep, but being the cocky person she is she was still very confident in her ability to patch herself up. She taped on a patch of gauze, and then began to wrap it tightly in medical bandages. Examining herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but admire her work. It would be good enough to stop the bleeding and allow her body to heal the gash.

Sighing, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a black tank top. Tatsuki dragged it on, wincing a little from the strain, and smirked when she saw that it hung just snug enough to make out her ripped abdominal muscles. Hearing her door bell ring, she paused.

_You feel that? It's her. _Custos Fortis warned. Tatsuki nodded her acknowledgement while snatching a white button up shirt. She had just pulled it on when she heard the visitor begin knocking lightly. Leaving the buttons undone, she unbuttoned the cuffs to allow herself freer movement. Opening the door, she saw beautiful eyes stare at her before blushing scarlet and giggling.

"Hello Orihime, what are you doing here?" Tatsuki inquired stoically, a bored expression fixing itself on her face. Orihime glanced up at Tatsuki, finding the silver eyes penetrating and mesmerizing.

"W-well… I thought you were sick." She said lamely, hoping for the ease their friendship had before the entire Soul Reaper thing began.

"Oh right… um.. cough, cough." Tatsuki forced out a weak unconvincing cough, earning a schoolgirl giggle from Orihime. What the blonde did next however took Tatsuki off guard.

"I can see you are really sick. Come on, perhaps I should get you into bed." Orihime said, and the tone sounded far too sexy to the Guardian.

_Get your mind out of the gutter. Jeez, you sound like a hormonal teenage boy. _Custos Fortis scolded his partner, though his tone gave way to more of a teasing motive. Tatsuki turned a deep shade of red, fighting off the images that flew into her mind.

"I think you might have a fever Tatsuki, you don't look very well." Orihime's voice gave way to concern. She pressed her hand to Tatsuki's head, feeling how surprisingly cold it was. "Tatsuki, you're freezing!" Her statement broke the fighter from her inner battle. She quickly pulled out of the healer's reach, hanging her head to the side.

"No I was just looking in the refrigerator, that's all." She lied, walking into her house. Orihime followed the suspicious girl, eyeing the contents of the house. It was covered in dust in certain areas, and the photo frames had mostly been smashed.

"I'm sorry about your parents." Orihime whispered, but a bizarre sense told her that Tatsuki could hear her just fine. The warrior's body stiffened at the unexpected apology, her back ridged and jaw clenched.

"It wasn't your fault…" Tatsuki stated definitively, having to consciously loosen her jaw. There was rage in her soul, Orihime could just feel it. The healer cautiously walked up behind Tatsuki, not wanting to startle her from her thoughts. Just as she was barely six inches from the girl in front of her, Orihime opened her arms and engulfed the Guardian into a strong hug. "Orihime… stop." Tatsuki said weakly and emotionlessly. She knew she shouldn't allow a repeat of the day before.

"No. Who do you blame? Do you know who did it?" Orihime asked. When it came to Tatsuki, she just couldn't let the girl go. She didn't want to desert her again. She knew that it must have caused some of these changes, and she was guilty for causing so much anguish.

"It does not matter." Tatsuki said, obviously lying through her teeth. The warmth of Orihime's breasts on her back was starting to melt her resolve. She made another feeble attempt to detach Orihime, but the girl's grip was amazingly strong.

"I thought it was a just someone who broke in, a robbery gone wrong." Orihime told Tatsuki as she squeezed a little bit harder and burrowed her head into Tatsuki's neck. Tatsuki fought back a howl of pain as Orihime's arms dug into her stomach, the gash opening back up and flowing with more blood than before. The Guardian knew she needed to end this position now… but the warm breath on her neck was so tantalizing.

"It wasn't an accident." Tatsuki told the girl, caving in. The sensation of warmth and heat emanating from the contact with Orihime was exhilarating. "Can you please just go away?" Tatsuki knew it was the wrong thing to say, possibly the worst thing, but the agony she was in certainly clouded her judgment.

"No… I'm not leaving you again." Orihime responded calmly. She had made up her mind and was now at peace. She wouldn't abandon Tatsuki, not again, and she needed the girl to know that. "Why don't you want to give us a chance?" Her voice wavered a little now, her confidence slipping.

"When did I ever say that I didn't 'want' to? Things change, people change… And I'm not good for you." Tatsuki wheezed, attempting to keep her composure as she felt blood soak into her clothes. If they remained embraced any longer, Tatsuki feared that the red liquid would stain, not only her, but Orihime. The wound would be almost impossible to explain with a simple 'I got in a fight' excuse. When had Orihime become so strong?

"What happened to you? I feel like I don't even know you anymore." Orihime choked out, untangling herself from the warrior. She fought back salty tears. "You were never someone that would talk about their feelings, but at least I knew we could talk!"

"Yeah well a lot of things have changed, haven't they?" Tatsuki was bitter now, favoring her injury as she put on an emotionless mask. "You were taken from me and I couldn't stop it. My livelihood was ripped from me and I couldn't stop it. I'm so damn sorry that I'm fucking sick of being helpless. You want to know something else? I'm not the only one that changed. You would have never brought this up before you were—before you left. So answer me this. Why the hell are you so fucking concerned now?" Tatsuki was panting slightly, whether it was from the pain or her rant, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that her vision was getting narrower and the room was starting to spin and tilt. And to add to all of her physical flaws, she was now waiting for an answer. Orihime looked shocked. Tatsuki couldn't tell if it was because the girl never realized her own changes, or she didn't think Tatsuki realized them.

"I've always cared. It just took this long for me to figure out how to get you to open up." Orihime murmured softly, looking down at her feet. She was ashamed now, ashamed that she decided to say goodbye to Ichigo instead of her bestfriend and crush. The choice seemed so stupid now.

"W-well I can't afford to—" Tatsuki shook her head a little, trying to regain some balance. The blood loss was finally starting to win against her best efforts. "—to 'open up'." Orihime was eyeing her now, obviously concerned about the stuttering.

"Why not? Give me one real reason why not." She challenged the guardian, gazing at her determinedly.

"B-because—" Tatsuki stumbled backwards until she fell into a chair. "Because I've made decisions that you won't like. And I don't regret them, not for an in-instant…" She panted, out of breath suddenly.

"It's not your choice whether I approve of something. I'm capable of making my own decisions." Her voice was calm and collected, not what Tatsuki had imagined her friend to sound like. It was getting difficult now, and her time was running out. In a last ditch attempt, Tatsuki started to walk towards her own front door. "Where are you going?"

"Out." The warrior's tone was stoic, silently seething at the agony. The one word sentence left her gasping for a breath as she slammed the door behind her. She could only imagine what Orihime's reaction was. Sure they've had fights before, but Tatsuki was never the one to just walk out.

'_Where are we going?' _Custos Fortis asked.

"I—I don't—I just don't know damn it…" She panted, placing a firm hand on her stomach hoping to stop the bleeding.

'_It's your lucky day then. Sense that?' _The sword murmured like he was trying to listen to the wind. _'Zac.'_

"He's here? Where the fuck is he then?" She staggered down the street, already a few blocks from her house. "Zac get your ass out here." She hissed, leaning against the wall of a building for support.

"Looks like I got here just in time. Miss me?" His chauvinistic attitude was stifled out by Tatsuki collapsing to the ground. "There's a hotel about a mile from here. I already got a room." He slung Tatsuki's arm around his neck and they proceeded to walk slowly down the street. "Can you phase?"

"Y-yeah…" She was loopy, and not entirely conscious.

"Alright. Do so then. I don't want anyone seeing us." After a moment, Tatsuki phased and Custos Fortis bumped against her leg bulkily as they continued the slow treacherous walk. When they reached the hotel, Zac guided the half conscious Guardian to the back alley. "I'm gonna carry you up." He flung her over his shoulder and jumped straight up to the second story balcony.

"Fuck you…" Tatsuki grumbled, her injury jarred by the ungentle care. Zac rolled his eyes and laid her on the bed.

"Shut up and sleep. I'll inform you on our problem when you wake up. I'll order pizza." He pulled out an old cell phone and dialed some random number. For a moment, he thought Tatsuki had passed out, but she spoke up groggily.

"W-whaz da probblim?" She slurred, not able to move her body as it was stretched on the full sized bed.

"The Soul Society sent a little reconnaissance group here. Apparently you are too good at your job." He smirked a little, but the gesture died on his face. "They sent the Captain of the Second Division, Soi Fon. She is formidable, and I don't want you facing her without full strength. Now you better rest or we—" He glanced over to the bed only to see a knocked out warrior snoring softly. He shook his head, amazed at the deplorable condition she was in. Sighing, he ordered the pizza and sat down… There was nothing left to do but wait until Tatsuki awoke, or the pizza arrived. He was really looking forward to the first all-meat-supreme-extra cheese-no onions-deep dish-fresh made pizza he's had in over two years. Being a Guardian didn't exactly leave him with all the free time in the world.

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall as it methodically ticked by, completely unaware of his scrutiny. He glared, challenging the device. A competitive fire smacked him in the face, and now he couldn't unglue his eyes.

'Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock'

"Just you wait pizza man… you've only got twenty minutes left," He grinned sadistically. "and that pizza will be all mine… free of charge. Never make promises you can't keep. Twenty minutes or less my ass…"

* * *

**I hope you liked the humor in the end! So there is a new threat... Captain Soi Fon! What will Tatsuki do about Ichigo? How did Orihime react to Tatsuki leaving? Is there anything left salvageable between the two? Or will it remain Tatsuki's duty to guard Orihime from the shadows? And how did Zac show up at just the right time? **

**I've got answers! :P and you won't find out unless I get reviews! Because your reviews inspire me to write, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading this!**

**-JZ**


	13. Sandbox Enemy

**Sorry about the delayed update. I know it has been a while. I just haven't been up to writing lately. My ex-girlfriend's dad died and even though her mom, brother, and now her hate me... her dad still liked me. We were friends and it was... I don't know. My ex's brother didn't want me there at all and he made sure I knew it. I couldn't fight him back though, so I just let him get it out of his system. I don't know why I was invited... My ex just said it's what her father would have wanted. So I hope this chapter is acceptable. I wrote some it before... that stuff came up. **

**Give me a review or PM if you want. That stuff is the only thing that's going to get me to write any time soon. And thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, you are great. (I don't own Bleach)**

**-JZ**

* * *

"But Sir, just because—"

"No, you said twenty minutes or less. It has been over twenty minutes. I am not paying for that pizza." Zac stated firmly, staring down a helpless looking teenager.

"But it's only been twenty-five minutes." The kid cried out, exasperated at Zac's stubbornness.

"Exactly. Now I ordered from Pizza Pete's because I thought I could trust them. You said it would take twenty minutes, and you lied. In order to regain my valuable trust, I expect that you keep your word and not charge me for this pizza. It is your choice, lose a paying customer or keep your promise." Zac's face held complete seldom seriousness, voice holding a life or death tone to it. The boy ripped off his pizza hat in a frenzy, before turning around.

"WHATEVER! Screw you! I'm sick of this fucking job!" He shouted, causing a couple of nosy neighbors to peek out their peepholes. Zac closed the door with the pizza box in hand, laughing his ass off.

"Humans are so stupid sometimes…" His chuckled died down as he lumbered to the small table. Opening the box, he pulled out a large steaming slice. "But damn, they make good food." He mumbled through a full bite of all meat pizza, some sauce sticking to the corner of his mouth.

After shoveling half the pizza down his throat, he sighed in satisfaction. The hotel room was small, but luckily it had a living/kitchen space, a temporary wall that sectioned off the sleeping area, and a bathroom. He didn't pay much for it, and he certainly got what he paid for. The free tea that they supplied was weak and didn't provide any of the benefits that it should have contained, and the lighting was poor and so was the view… but he could have done worse. Zac contemplated for a moment, not sure what to do while he waited for his tyro to awaken. After half an hour of sitting at the small table, he stood up abruptly, causing the chair to screech as it slid backwards, and swiftly left through the front door.

* * *

"My head feels like a jackhammer used it as a dance floor." Tatsuki grumbled as she weakly sat up. Her limbs felt heavy and detached, her strength at an all time low. She wanted to vomit from the unknown weakness, but she held it in. A sudden pain in her stomach alerted her to a ravenous hunger that border lined starvation. "Why the hell am I so hungry?" She whimpered, holding her stomach to make the emptiness disappear.

"_Because you used up all the food you had. It took a lot for your body to heal, and now it is time to replenish that store of vital nutrients." _Custos Fortis informed her, and she could feel his hunger also.

"You just want me to eat because you are fucking starving." She scoffed, but he didn't object. Obviously he wasn't in the mood to joke about food.

"Looks like you're finally up." Zac grumbled from the kitchen table, writing something down on a notepad. Tatsuki glared at him a little, staggering towards the pizza box on the far side of the little table. "You've been out all night. I had to order another pizza." He informed offhandedly, not glancing up from his work, a cheap pen tapping against the hard plastic surface.

"That must have been such a sacrifice." She rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to the box of pizza. Opening it gently, she sighed when she saw three-fourths of a pepperoni pizza left. She gulped down the food greedily, relaxing as the awful hunger sensation began to subside.

"Better now?" Zac asked twenty minutes later, still working on something. Now that her hunger was taken care of, Tatsuki was curious.

"Yeah. What the hell have you been working on?" She sounded impatient, but in truth she just didn't want to hear him rattle off something stupid.

"Do you know why I came back here?" He questioned, finally taking his eyes off the notebook paper.

"To say hello to your star student?" She asked him sarcastically. Zac laughed a little too much, thinking the whole idea was absurd. "It really wasn't that funny."

"Of course it was. You think you're my star student." He joked, grinning like a little kid who just caught his first fish even though it was a minnow. "Anyways, I'm here because we have a big problem… actually a small one." He corrected, poking fun at their problem's size.

"And what is it?"

"More of a who." He amended. "Captain Soi Fon, head of the Stealth Squad. It seems that the dramatic drop in hollow attacks due to an 'unknown force' has finally caught the head honcho's eye."

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Tatsuki groaned, tired of dealing with soul reapers.

"She is definitely one of the strongest soul reapers in the Soul Society. I need to make sure she doesn't kill you. Also, if push comes to shove… We may need to relocate." He finished, sighing and rubbing his temples like he has a massive headache.

"I can't do that." She stated, unable to even comprehend leaving. Her mind and heart refused to think about leaving Orihime unprotected.

"I know…" He muttered, irritated. "I know that Orihime is your charge… I had hoped I was wrong, but I'm not."

"Killing a Captain will start a war with the Soul Society." Tatsuki growled, now realizing why it was such a problem.

"Yes, without a doubt." Zac confirmed, glancing out one of the dingy windows, the only view was the brick wall of the neighboring building.

"Soul reapers are such a fucking pain."

"Indeed they are." He nodded, drained and exhausted.

"So when is this whole shit fest gonna start?" She wondered, her own migraine beginning to appear.

"I don't know… I've checked with my contact, but sadly they aren't as close as they used to be." Zac seemed frustrated with his insider, picking up his pen again and scratching something off.

"Contact…? Someone around here?" Tatsuki perked up, curious if old Hat-n'-Clogs had more up his obnoxiously baggy sleeves than he let on.

"Yes, in fact she is also close to your… friend… also." There was distaste as he spoke about Ichigo, and Tatsuki immediately bristled.

"So this insider knows about you… and me? Does that mean Ichigo knows?" She asked after her initial anger subsided, concern about her secrecy flaring up unexpectedly.

"No, she doesn't know about Guardians or you being one. All she knows is that I happen to be someone who saved her ass when she was exiled from the Soul Society, and now she owes me." He smiled, remembering how he offered her cover when the human world was temporarily swarmed with soul reapers in search of her. "Yoruichi and I go way back."

"That name sounds familiar…"

"It should. She trained that substituted soul reaper. She isn't a normal soul reaper either…" He trailed off; reminiscing to the small scuffles they once had shared.

"The Soul Society exiled their own? For what reason? Murder?" Tatsuki joked, until going serious. "Well?"

"No, they just didn't like that she disagreed with them. She saved Urahara… uh, the guy that wears the hat and outdated shoes." Zac clarified, making Tatsuki smirk. "Anyway, Soi Fon was her body guard. They were very very very close." He hinted, raising his eyebrows to emphasize. "It killed her when Yoruichi ditched her, and now they really don't talk… But Soi has stopped trying to kill Yoruichi, at least that's what the cat told me." He sighed, wondering how reliable Yoruichi was. It was obvious that she still missed her body guard, and by the sounds of it, Soi Fon was still under the feline's spell.

"Sounds like me and this Soi Fon person have something in common. We both got came in second place…" Tatsuki seethed, thinking of her own situation with Ichigo.

"Hey, Soi is the enemy, remember? We don't sympathize, we fight. Stop going all soft on me." He growled, getting uncomfortable by the similarities between Soi and Tatsuki. They were strangely parallel.

"You hate soul reapers, so why not Yoruichi?" Zac stared down at his hands as they rested on the table, focused on something that wasn't there.

"Guardians recognize what is right and what is wrong. It would have been wrong for me to allow her to die simply because she was a soul reaper. She stood up for her friend, sacrificed her livelihood, and begged me not to rat her out… it would be betraying my status as a Guardian if I were to put my hate above what is morally right." He finished his lecture, clenching his hands into tight fists. Obviously this wasn't the first time he's second guessed his decision, and Tatsuki prayed that she wouldn't become so lost when she thought about how she saved Ichigo.

"Where does that leave us now?" Tatsuki no longer wanted to talk about the past, all she wanted to do was focus on a solution.

"Return to your house. Don't fight any hollows… just leave it to the soul reaper unless someone is in immediate danger. I'll be around, but not too close. I've got to get more intel on when they will arrive, and how many." He stood up, stretched his limbs, and ambled over to the bed. "See ya later." He murmured before falling asleep on the mattress.

"Yeah, whatever…" Tatsuki muttered, not really wanting to return to that house. She thought back to Orihime, and how she walked out on the girl. Had Orihime stayed? Looked for her? Was she worried?

"_I'm tired of this place. Let's get out of here." _Custos Fortis gripped, back to his normal self now that he was healed and replenished. Tatsuki grunted in agreement, standing up and exiting the front door. She didn't recognize the hallway, now remembering that she actually hadn't been in there before. Finding the elevator was an impossible task, and eventually Tatsuki just gave up and took the stairs. As she reached the lobby, a teasing ding signaled the arrival of an elevator, and the doors opened, revealing several business-like people. She did not fit in with the crowd, being a seventeen year old high school student in casual clothing.

"Hello, may I help you?" A bellhop questioned politely, smiling such a fake smile she worried that it might mold.

"Nah, I'm good." She assured the smiley man, a little edgy by his sickening kindness, which was obviously an act. She hurried out the revolving door, enjoying the stale, polluted, city air… joking, it was actually quite fresh. She ambled lazily towards her house, recognizing the roads and businesses as soon as she saw the street. It took ten minutes until she finally reached her street, but she was trying to walk really slowly. Her house didn't look any different, showing no signs of the previous argument, murders, or even the years of solitude she had spent in it. All it was, was a house. She could not see anything that made it better than the one next door, or down the block, or across the city… It simply existed… much like herself now.

When she arrived at the front door, she expected it to be unlocked; however, it was secured. 'Orihime must have locked it when she left' Tatsuki reasoned, taking the spare key out of her shoe (sure it was a weird spot, but the key was safe right?) and easily slipped it into the knob. As she fiddled with it until a satisfying 'click' occurred, she could hear noises inside.

"_It is not a BoneFace… wait a second, is she still here?" _Custos Fortis seemed nearly as surprised as Tatsuki, and that was hard to do. Cautiously, Tatsuki opened the door and walked in, waiting for Orihime to make herself known.

The sight of the house almost caused Tatsuki to yell. It was dusted, cleaned, and the various photo frames that were destroyed were now either hung up or stacked on the couch. The warrior felt her blood freeze (no pun intended) and she began to shake.

Her father and she were sitting at a bench in the park, eating ice-cream. It was one of those very rare days that he had a day off and decided to spend it with his daughter; those were few and far between. She was four when that picture was taken. She remembered that her mother had a conference and she said that she didn't have enough time to play around. Tatsuki's dad understood, saying that it couldn't be too bad to hang out for a day. Tatsuki had asked him if they could make it a normal thing… hanging out together, having fun… bonding. But he just laughed and said 'maybe.' That was a lie.

"Tatsuki, you're home…" Orihime smiled, her tone was gentle and soft, as if she was afraid that if she made any sudden movements Tatsuki might spook.

"Yeah…" She ground out through clenched teeth, walking up to the photos on the wall. They didn't belong there, not now… not really ever. Her relationship with her parents was just sort of… like a mutual understanding. They left money on the table, and Tatsuki kept herself out of serious trouble (mostly), and under those conditions they pretty much stayed out of each other's way. She stopped right in front of the pictures, lifting her hand to lay flat on the glass. Restraining her need to punch the picture, rip it off the wall, smash it against the floor, Tatsuki very calmly lifted it from its nail, walked over to the garbage can in the kitchen, and dropped it in there, hearing a satisfying crack of broken glass and wood.

"I'm sorry, I just thought that…" Orihime trailed off, not sure what to say. She could tell that Tatsuki was angry about the pictures and she knew that her friend wasn't very close to her family, but she didn't think that it would make the fighter so upset. Tatsuki was shaking, and Orihime's mind wasn't sure whether it was from exhaustion or anger. "Hey, why don't you get some sleep?" She suggested, grabbing Tatsuki's white sleeve gently. The Guardian's eyes suddenly focused on the soft hand, mesmerized by the beauty. Tatsuki just nodded, and Orihime took that as a sign. She tugged Tatsuki towards her room, and the girl trailed behind her dazedly. "You look tired…"

"Yeah…" Tatsuki muttered, suddenly extremely exhausted from the flashbacks of her 'family' and the need for sleep became intense. 'Why am I so tired?'

'_Residual effects from that BoneFace.' _Custos Fortis yawned, indicating that he too was tired.

"Sit." Orihime said, and when Tatsuki didn't respond, she backed the Guardian into the bed until her knees buckled at the edge. Suddenly Tatsuki found herself sitting, Orihime hovering above her. "Hey, you in there?"

"Yeah…" She repeated, stoic and lifeless. She missed the sleepovers they shared, the easy nights, the fun times… everything. But she couldn't have that anymore, and it felt like it was ripping her apart.

"Hold still…" Orihime whispered as she took off Tatsuki's white button up shirt, tossing it on the floor. "Lay back and get some sleep." Tatsuki obeyed, only half listening. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt herself floating in a realm between sleep and consciousness. She felt Orihime take off her boots, and she sensed a blanket being draped over her, then all she sensed was blackness.

* * *

**So there is the chapter. I don't know when the next one will be posted, depends on how many reviews I get. Also, I'd be happy to get some PMs from anyone. I'll respond and they give me something to think about. So thanks to all those that have PMed me and REVIEWED. **

**-JZ**


	14. Make It Work

**Okay, this is short but extremely important. This change in this chapter and it shows just how much Tatsuki is wrapped around Orihime's finger. I know, I know... fluffyness? Yes, because every good relationship does have its fair share of fluff. I hope that you like this chapter, dispite its shortness, and will leave a REVIEW? I also want to thank a very special reader who got me off my a** and also, answered a few questions to help the story. Please PM me (because it does seriously help) and REVIEW!**

**I don't own bleach.**

**-JZ**

* * *

"Mmm…" Tatsuki groaned softly, relishing in the warm weight on top of her. She was on her back, eyes still closed, and the last thing she remembered was Orihime taking her to her room. A content tingling spread throughout her body, and she realized that her arm was around whatever that was on top of her. She could feel rays of sunlight beaming through her eyelids, and she squinted when she finally opened them. After a few strained blinks, her eyes began to adjust. Confusion hit her like a bitch slap on a bad date, leaving her lost and unsure of how to proceed. The soft warmth draped over her stomach and chest was Orihime, fast asleep with a little hissing noise signaling a new breath. The sight was unparalleled to anything Tatsuki had ever witnessed before, too… real for words. Strawberry blond hair left the girl's face unidentifiable, and Tatsuki saw that it was her own arm that was draped on the girl's shoulder, absentmindedly toying with the breathtaking locks.

The Guardian's first reaction was to pull away; however, doing so would surly wake the sleeping girl, and Tatsuki didn't have the heart to do that just yet. Tatsuki's mind took a mental snap shot of the image, saving it in her memory bank if ever the time should arise that it was required. Tatsuki had a surge of happiness, feeling invincible and like everything was alright in the world, like there weren't monsters or soul reapers, like Guardians were just a myth told to children by parents wishing to instill hope. The world just seemed simpler, and Tatsuki didn't want to screw it up just yet. The fighter shifted a little to get some of Orihime's pressure distributed instead of fixated in one spot, realizing that the tingling was numbness from loss of circulation. In response to the disturbance, Orihime took a fist full of Tatsuki's tank top, clenching it as she hugged it close to her heart. Tatsuki's stomach was exposed now, and Orihime moaned a little in her sleep. Tatsuki's mind wandered, thinking about what Orihime must be dreaming about to groan like that. A thick blush stained her cheeks and she slammed her eyes shut, feeling wrong about the fantasies that were going through her mind.

"Tatsuki… hmm…" Orihime mumbled as she released the fabric and her hand drifted like a feather over Tatsuki's abdomen, causing flames to erupt in the Guardian's stomach. "Tatsuki, are you okay?" Orihime bit her lip to stifle a giggle, glancing at her friend with a sleepy expression. Tatsuki had her eyes clenched shut, body as rigid as an ice cube. Orihime pushed herself up to get a better look at Tatsuki, applying more pressure to the firm six-pack.

"Ya-huh…" Tatsuki's voice cracked a little, displaying her discomfort. Seemingly oblivious to the person fidgeting beneath her, Orihime just sat up, curling her feet beneath her.

"We need to talk…" Orihime's voice was unnaturally firm, making Tatsuki open her eyes for the first time since the blond woke. "About us."

"There is no us…" Tatsuki muttered, refusing eye contact now.

"Why? Why can't there be an 'us'?" The strength faltered slightly, pleading for an explanation. "I've had a crush on you for years, Tatsuki. And I know that you like me." Orihime smiled almost smugly, not something Tatsuki was totally used to.

"Oh really, and how is that?" Tatsuki played along, smirking because it was actually entertaining to see Orihime so confident. "Why are you looking at me like—" Orihime bent down, hovering over Tatsuki's lips for a moment, hair falling all around the warrior. A smile adorned the blonds' face as she closed the centimeter gap, offering a soft peck before pulling back.

"You make me feel strong, like I can do anything." Orihime whispered softly, leaning back down.

"And you make me weak in the knees…" Tatsuki muttered absentmindedly, too distracted by the soft butterfly kisses Orihime was offering. Orihime straddled Tatsuki's waist, still kissing the warrior.

"What," kiss, "do," kiss, "you," kiss, "think?" Instead of a light feather like kiss, Tatsuki deepened it and Orihime immediately responded, her hands sifting through Tatsuki's short hair. Orihime had always liked Tatsuki's hairstyle, and she was even more infatuated with the frosted tips. Breaking their intimate contact, Orihime sat on Tatsuki's toned stomach, waiting for an answer. "Oh, and that's how I know that you like me, by the way." Tatsuki just blinked, missing the contact but still trying to catch up with what was happening. "So?"

"I… I can make it work." Tatsuki said out loud, trying to assure herself. Orihime smiled like a little kid, jumping off the warrior and dancing around the room. "Do you want to see a movie tonight?"

"Like a date?" Orihime asked hopefully, making her way to the door.

"Yeah… um, is that okay?" Tatsuki blushed a little, not used to the whole relationship thing, but she hoped it would get better in time.

"You know, you're really cute when you're nervous." Orihime cooed, watching as Tatsuki blushed even harder and stood up as well.

"I'm not nervous." Tatsuki denied, her face heating up even more.

"Don't worry, you're still my hero." Orihime danced over to Tatsuki, grabbing her wrist and leading her out of the room. Tatsuki sighed, acknowledging defeat. They both sat down on the couch, turning the television on. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"I don't care. I think there are a few more tv dinners in the freezer." Tatsuki suggested, just about to stand when Orihime pulled her back on the couch with a firm tug to her belt. "Oooofff…" Tatsuki huffed, caught off guard.

"You are joking right? Frozen dinners for breakfast? How do you stay in such good shape?" Orihime said exasperatedly.

"Hey, watch the pants." Tatsuki yipped, pulling them back up. They were a little big, hanging low on one hip even with a belt.

"Oh come on, we both know that you've got boxers underneath." Tatsuki opened her mouth to say something, but nothing left her mouth. Orihime just laughed, scooting closer to Tatsuki.

"Hey let's go out to eat, huh?" Orihime brightened up, a huge grin on her face. "I'll go get dressed and you can borrow some clothes."

"Tatsuki, don't worry, I brought my own clothes." Orihime tried not to sound so unhappy with the idea of wearing Tatsuki's clothes, but the warrior caught it.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing, trust me. They look very… sexy," both of them blushed, but it didn't last long. Orihime found that she liked how it sounded, mainly because it was completely true. "on you though. It really isn't my style. And I don't think it would fit very well."

"Uh, alright… yeah, I guess that makes sense…" Tatsuki just wanted to stop their conversation now, but she couldn't help the smug satisfaction that Orihime thought she looked sexy. A wicked smirk sported Tatsuki's face, and she decided to get a little payback. "You know, I don't like to lose, right?" Tatsuki's smirk grew and her eyes danced with excitement at the look of confusion of Orihime's face. Swiftly, Tatsuki softly tugged the girl's chin up and kissed her. It was like fire and ice dancing through a tornado, electricity erupting like a melody and adrenaline making them both dizzy. It was Tatsuki's turn to pull away, chuckling at the dreamy glazed expression on Orihime's face. "I better get dressed." Tatsuki stood up and rubbed her head as she headed back to her room, the euphoria still affecting her balance, causing her steps to sway a little.

"_What the hell?" Custos Fortis shouted, a mixture of anger and happiness. "Are you insane?"_

'Maybe, but I don't really care right now.' Tatsuki told him in her mind, refusing to be thrown back into reality. 'I'll make it work. I'll find a way.' She assured her partner, trying to believe her own words.

"_What if Zac finds out?" Custos Fortis questioned, irritation eating away at him. "Or worse yet, what if she finds out?"_

'I'll worry about it when I get there, okay?' Tatsuki grumbled, changing into some clean clothes. 'I owe it to her to give this a shot, alright? I really like her.'

"_I know that. Just don't be stupid, got it? Just because I'm in your head that doesn't mean that I agree with your thoughts... but, okay." He sighed, knowing that getting in the way of young love would only cause more conflict._

'Thanks…' Tatsuki told him, turning around as she heard a soft knock on the door. "Come in."

"That was really mean." Orihime pouted, watching Tatsuki pull her jeans up. "Let me get that."

"That's okay, I got it." Tatsuki said, just about to pull the zipper up. Orihime swatted the Guardian's hands out of the way, firmly gripping the metal zipper. Slowly she pulled it up, allowing her hand to linger a little. Tatsuki gulped and Orihime just smiled. Next came the belt, which she made sure was put on… securely.

"There." Orihime said when she was finally done, relishing Tatsuki's fidgety expression.

"It's good. T-thanks."

"Anytime… Let's go to breakfast now, okay?" Tatsuki nodded, glancing down at her phone.

"We better make that a lunch date. Want to just go to the movies after?" Orihime nodded, draping Tatsuki's arm around her shoulders, hugging the warrior's waist.

"Alright…" Tatsuki muttered distractedly, exiting the house and locking the door behind them. 'I'll make this work, I promise.' She vowed in her mind, glancing down at the beautiful strawberry blond at her side… and for the first time in a long time, things just felt right.

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**Brief, but sweet. Now... let's just hope that promises won't be broken. There are a lot of things that are going to become a result of this. Yay, they got together... but that is only a fraction of the story. Can they stay together? Do they really belong together? How will this affect Tatsuki as Orihime's Guardian? Questions, questions... and only I've got the answers! **

**Leave reviews PLEASE because I really like to read them and they motivate me. Also, I greatly appreciate PMs... I almost like them more, but heck, do them both! Thank you for reading and I hope to update soon.**

**-JZ**


	15. Balance

**It has been a while, huh? Well, I've been working on this and I hope you all enjoy it. It's a bit longer than normal, so maybe that makes up for how long it took to get done? haha, I sure hope so! Anyways, I would really appreciate REVIEWS and/or PMs! Because that shows that you care, and want to know what will happen next. So even if you do just want to read the next chapter, I'll pretend that it is because you care ;)**

**PM and REVIEW! er... um, please? haha**

**I do not own Bleach.**

**-JZ**

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"Damn it Tatsuki, what the hell are you doing?" Zac's angry voice boomed throughout the clearing.

"I've got to go. I have school in an hour." She shouted back, slaying the last hollow that dared attempt to fight.

"What about going over the intel? Do you want to get ambushed by this 'Soi Fon'? If she finds you unprepared, it's very likely she could kill you!" He roared, sheathing his sword. Tatsuki took no notice of his rage, already headed off out of sight. "But I guess walking to school with your little girlfriend is more important… pathetic." He grumbled, knowing full well that the girl could easily hear him. Tatsuki had to bite back the instinct to rip him apart, using her unnatural speed to get her back to her house.

"_Zac is correct. You've been slacking on your responsibilities lately." _Custos Fortis informed her as Tatsuki hopped in the shower.

"Thanks, great job to you too." She growled, irritated at her so called partner. She was sore from all the fighting; it had been an abnormally active two weeks, and hollows/BoneFaces were becoming exceptionally common. With her fighting during the day so constrained (except for emergencies) she had to spend all her nights patrolling and disposing of the vermin.

Tatsuki entered the empty house, rushing to the bathroom as she phased into her human form. She tore off her clothing, not wasting any time as she hopped into the freezing water. Tatsuki had to scrub all the blood off, which was rather difficult considering how much she was covered in. There were dirt and rocks in her hair, from the third hollow she had faced that night. He managed to get in a lucky blow that sent her cascading into a heap of rubble at an abandoned construction sight. Her body was moving slower than its regular superhuman speed, causing her shower to take more than the timed out three minutes. In a fog, she brushed her teeth and rubbed her hair with a towel, drying it and styling it all in one. Tatsuki flinched as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her winged tattoo, frosted hair, and steely eyes reflected a completely different person. She had some scars, several from before she became a Guardian, but the few that had a silver gleam to them, those were from recent injuries. She'd learned quickly that deep wounds still left a mark, even as a Guardian. There was one in her abdomen, from when she first had to die by her own hand. Also, there was a large bite mark on her left shoulder from Custos Fortis, where he exchanged blood. It felt like years ago… yet in reality, her life was "normal" less than six months ago.

Tearing her mind from its recollection, she exited the bathroom and went into her room, paying no mind to the empty walls that once had memories hung. If she had a choice, she'd just pass out on her bed right now, but she had responsibilities to uphold. No sleeping… but luckily it was Friday. Throwing her towels in the hamper, she staggered to her dresser. The red numbers on her alarm clock were fuzzy, making her growl as she brought the stupid object closer to her face, trying to get the numbers to come into focus. Her clock was normally so clear… now she had to replace the batteries.

"Fuck!" She shouted, tossing the clock back on top of her dresser as she pulled on her normal dark baggy jeans. Jumping around her room, desperately attempting to pull her pants up with one hand and snatch a black tank with the other, gravity finally won as she tripped over a boot. "Damn it…" She grumbled, rubbing her head. She caught a black shape out of the corner of her eye, cursing under her breath because it was so familiar. She could see her tattoo on her shoulders and she really didn't feel like explaining to Orihime about why she had a giant wing tattoo on her back. "Orihime!" She remember, slipping her belt in the loops and latching it (truly the belt was a waste of time since it didn't really hold her pants up… but it was technically an attribute from her sword, so she didn't feel right leaving it). Opting to just throw on a white button up shirt over her tank, she rushed out the door. A few minutes later, a familiar apartment came into view and she slowed to a walk as she knocked on the door.

"Hey Tatsuki!" Orihime chimed, tugging Tatsuki down the sidewalk after locking the door. The strawberry blond giggled as she nestled into Tatsuki's shoulder.

"What's so funny?" Tatsuki laughed, finding Orihime's giggle remarkable. Orihime just released her firm hold on Tatsuki's arm and ruffled the warrior's spiky hair.

"Your hair is still wet. Wake up late again?" Orihime teased, wiping the water on her girlfriend's sleeve.

"I think my towel was broken." Tatsuki joked, shaking her head. Orihime shrieked as a few droplets of water flew in her direction, but broke down into bubbly giggles.

"Do you want to come over, or am I going over to your place?" Orihime asked, excited to spend the weekend with her girlfriend.

"Whatever you want." Tatsuki mumbled, yawning and stumbling a little.

"Easy there." Orihime laughed, steadying her girlfriend. She was happy that Tatsuki didn't mind, because Orihime had been planning a surprise for the past week. She'd noticed that just shy of two weeks ago, Tatsuki had been really tired. The short haired girl was falling asleep in class, at lunch, even when they'd watch movies, which was very un-Tatsuki like. Tatsuki normally refused to fall asleep before Orihime, and while the blond pretended that it was funny (which it kind of was) she was growing increasingly concerned. "Great, then we'll go to my place after school."

"'Kay, sounds fine." Tatsuki muttered, giving Orihime a quick peck on the lips. "You need to get to class."

"And so do you." Orihime laughed, tugging her girlfriend towards the classroom. As soon as they entered the room, the bell rang. Students began sitting down, groaning about how stupid it was to have school on Friday. The teacher then grumbled about how stupid it was that he didn't get paid more. All in all, it was the beginning of a normal day. It went by slowly, dragging its feet like a four year old to his dentist appointment. About an hour into the lesson, Tatsuki began to nod off, her head propped on her hand. It was pounding, thumping like the heartbeat that was no longer present in her body. Just when she thought she was about to clock out, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the lunch break.

"Would you mind if I joined you for lunch today?" Rukia asked Orihime, and the blond girl nodded rapidly.

"That would be awesome!" Orihime smiled, happy to see her friend back to school. With Captain Soi Fon in town, Rukia had been ordered to show the Captain around. It had taken a while, but now Soi Fon could easily navigate throughout the city. Also, they had been looking for the cause of such low hollow numbers. Ichigo had been right when he said that someone saved him, it's just difficult to understand if that person is a good guy or a bad guy. "Meet us by the tree. I'll just be a minute."

"Yeah, I'll see you out there." Rukia responded, noticing how Tatsuki was still at her desk. It was obvious that something was ripping the girl's mind apart, but that was to be expected with your parents being murdered. Orihime waved bye to Rukia as the soul reaper walked out of the classroom.

"Hey you…" Orihime murmured in her girlfriend's ear, waking the girl up gently. "It's time for lunch." Tatsuki jolted from her haze, standing from her seat and shaking her head.

"R-right, of course. Uh, let's go." Tatsuki stuttered, shaking the sleep from her head. Orihime forced a smile, dragging Tatsuki by the sleeve to their group's eating area. The others were happy with the return of their friends, finding the group beginning to return to normal. "What's she doing here?" Tatsuki whispered in the blonde's ear, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, Rukia just got back from her relatives." Orihime felt terrible lying to her girlfriend, hiding her face by leaning her head on Tatsuki's shoulder. The warrior didn't respond verbally, just nodding in acknowledgement.

"Hey Tatsuki!" Rukia chimed, using her bubbly schoolgirl personality. Orihime sat down next to Rukia, smiling her bright cheerful grin. Tatsuki, however, flopped down a few feet away, completing the circle. She was straight across from Rukia, staring at the soul reaper.

"_It's hard to imagine that chick putting up much of a fight. And she's a soul reaper, huh? So why aren't we ripping her in two?" _Custos Fortis hissed, bristling at the sight of their enemy. There had been a few close calls with being caught by the patrolling soul reapers, hindering some of their hollow hunts.

"_Easy, alright? I'm having enough trouble keeping myself grounded as it is. Remember, we have a cover to maintain." _Tatsuki reminded him, fidgeting slightly as she bit down the urge to fight. Custos Fortis's bloodlust was strong, making it amplify her own instinctual rage.

"It's been a while, Rukia." Tatsuki smirked, her eyes not reflecting the same message as her voice. The soul reaper smiled in response, noticing the anger in the other girl's eyes but deciding to ignore it for now. The other girls began to interrogate their missing friend, asking a million and one questions, but not waiting long enough for an answer.

"Hold on!" Rukia shouted, laughing at their antics. She had really missed this school, these people… she even considered them as friends.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Ichigo half pleaded, surprised at the fact that Tatsuki had begun standing up before he even made a sound. He had meant to talk to his friend on the day he got back, almost opting to skip his soul reaper duties to do so. Now, two weeks later, he still hadn't done it. He felt awful, but he had tons of things to do, between patrolling for the thing that saved him and dealing with Captain Soi Fon, he'd been totally swamped.

"How 'bout we go to the roof?" Tatsuki suggested, already on her way to the stairwell before he had a chance to answer. Orihime was too engrossed in recounting a dream that she'd had that involved aliens and man eating hamsters. "So, what'd you want?" She demanded, leaning against the railing. The wind tore at their clothes, and both their hair was being wiped around like a wet rag. Ichigo sighed, knowing that this would be hard… but it felt more difficult than any battle he had fought.

"I'm sorry." He looked away, feeling her gaze lock onto him. It burned, sending fire over his skin; yet, her eyes froze him in place, paralyzing his very heartbeat, slowing the blood that pumped through his veins.

"Sorry?" Her tone was one of confusion, not completely comprehending his use of the word.

"Yeah…" Ichigo struggled to find the right words, half wishing he'd put it off for another two weeks. "I know you're mad at me… I wasn't there. We've been friends since we were four and you were always there for me, but I wasn't there when you needed me. And… I'm sorry." He was desperate now, needing to mend the friendship that he practically threw away before he left. He acted like he didn't even care the last time they saw each other, and now all he wanted was to take it back. He wanted his friend again. "I understand if you need time. Hell, you can even hit me. I deserve it." The last option he knew would be to let his long time fighter friend punch out her anger, and after that, things usually went back to normal. Tatsuki laughed, her tone bitter and enraged, a snide grin accompanied her hate filled pupils.

"I'm not going to hit you." She shook her head, the wind plastering her spikes and sending them in all sorts of impossible directions. "If I hit you, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

"I'm so—"

"Fuck you." She retained her emotionless smirk, pushing off the railing and heading towards the door. "You don't even know why you're sorry. But just so you know, I'm not mad at you." She opened the door, turning back to him one last time. "I have to hate you. It's nothing personal." Leaving him gawking at the closed door, Tatsuki checked her phone. "Fuck…" She was already late. Sprinting to her classroom, she stumbled and crashed into the lockers. She fought back a whimper when her head exploded into agony. She didn't hit it… It throbbed, making her head lull around as she fought back a wave of nausea. This was the fourth time in the past week that it had happened, nearly dropping her to her knees. A few minutes later, the torment subsided, offering her relief until it would undoubtedly happen again.

"Tatsuki, nice of you to join us." The teacher huffed, returning to her lesson. Tatsuki strode to her desk, ignoring the questioning eyes of her girlfriend. "I'd like you to wait after class Arisawa." Tatsuki didn't respond, just rested her head on her arms as she took a nap. A couple hours later, the bell rang again, and now people scooted out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

"Hey Tatsuki, do you mind if I wait out front with Rukia?" Orihime asked, waking her girlfriend from her nap for the second time that day. Tatsuki yawned and nodded, standing and stretching as she waltzed up to the front of the room. The teacher was sitting at her desk, tapping her pen as she waited.

"Tatsuki, your work has been very well lately, a little sloppy, but correct. Personally I think you are doing well considering… anyways, I just want to warn you that if you continue with your behavior, however, then I will be forced to remove you from my classroom. I do not appreciate you sleeping and arriving late. This is your last warning." The woman smiled sickeningly sweet, resting her hand on Tatsuki's arm. The warrior blinked, getting a little creeped out.

"Whatever… I've got to go." Tatsuki shrugged, deciding to walk a little faster out the door. Much to Tatsuki's displeasure, she decided that Orihime deserved to spend some time with Rukia and catch up. Rukia may be a soul reaper, but the warrior could easily tell that the petite girl was important to Orihime. Taking the back doors out of the school, Tatsuki entered the sports complex. There were baseball, football, and soccer fields all lined up like a manufactured setting. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow when she saw some kids playing on the soccer field, more interestingly the kids were arguing. Rolling her eyes, Tatsuki knew that she ought to check it out.

"You know Karin, just cuz your brother is back, doesn't mean that we're goin' to give you free passes. That carrot top doesn't even look that tough." A kid in the grade above Tatsuki's told the middle schooler. "I think that you and your little buddies should hit the road."

"I can take you any time." Karin growled, and Tatsuki smirked at the girl's enthusiasm. The boys laughed at her, and started to circle the small girl.

"You think that you can really take all of us down? Alone?" The guy laughed, watching Karin's friends start backing away. The kids were scared, and even though Karin fought to hide it, she was scared too.

"Look idiots, I think you're picking on the wrong kid." Tatsuki told the older boys, staring straight through the leader.

"And why is that, Tatsuki?" As soon as he said her name, Tatsuki remembered him. It was Brad, from the varsity soccer team. He was a bully, but since his parents were rich and he was popular, no one did anything about it.

"Because I really don't think you want to start off your season with a broken leg." She shrugged her shoulders, acting indifferent. "My patience is running out. Back off, or I'll kick your ass."

"Alright, alright, I was just playing anyways." He held his hands up in surrender, but Tatsuki didn't like his snide grin.

"I catch you causing these kids any more problems, and I'm not going to give you another warning." She promised, and his smile faded slightly.

"You're afraid of a girl." One of Brad's stooges laughed, earning himself a solid punch in the arm from his leader. "Ow!"

"Hey moron, that's Tatsuki Arisawa." Brad pointed to the fighter, glaring daggers at his 'friend.' "People don't walk away from fights with her."

"Doesn't your girlfriend have a crush on her?" A shorter boy asked Brad, and the leader slapped him upside the head. "Jeez, someone is pissy today." Brad huffed and sulked away, infuriated that he was humiliated in front of his gang. The other guys just laughed and whispered snide comments to each other, making sure he didn't hear them because he was still scary as hell to them.

"Thanks again, Tatsuki." Karin said grudgingly, hiding her blush.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm surprised your brother didn't beat me to it, or is he too wrapped up in being home?" Tatsuki asked, surprised that Ichigo would leave his sister all alone. Normally he was anal about protecting family, but things change…

"_Or Zac was right, and your friend is just like all the other soul reapers. Perhaps he's getting tired of protecting the innocent, and finds if far more enjoyable to punish the guilty." _Custos Fortis countered, his voice portraying an 'I told you so' tone.

"Oh uh, you know… he's just busy, I guess." Karin murmured, knowing that there was something different between Tatsuki and Ichigo. Sure she had heard rumors, but Karin had hardly had a chance to talk to Ichigo since he got back from his 'trip' and frankly, she was getting a little pissed off at her brother for being too busy. All his time was spent on stuff that Karin didn't really know of, but it was important. Never did she think that it was more important than going to their mother's funeral though.

"Well those jackas—I mean jerks, seem to be messing with you pretty bad. There a story behind this?" The fighter had flopped down in the grass, a sudden wave of tiredness hitting her. The sun wasn't helping either, making her want to take a nap right on the field. Karin took it as a sign of interest, and the younger girl sat down too.

"Ichigo kicked Brad's ass when they were… ten or something. Brad hates him." Karin sighed, noticing that Tatsuki narrowed her eyes and glared at her boots.

"Does your brother know about Brad messing with you?" Tatsuki's voice was hard, cold, and distant, trying to fight the evidence.

"This isn't the first time it's happened. So yeah, I guess he does know." Tatsuki clenched her fist, biting back her anger. A bitter laugh found its way through a crack in her grinding teeth, being forcefully breathed out. "I know that you two aren't great friends right now… w-what happened?" Karin couldn't understand, Tatsuki was Ichigo's oldest friend and knew him better than anyone else.

"Priorities change." Tatsuki growled, realizing how stupid and blind she was being. The nagging voice telling her that Ichigo had changed couldn't be ignored anymore. She had told herself to hate him, but up until now… she hadn't really been able to commit to that. The past was over, they both grew up, and neither of them were the same innocent kids. Saving Ichigo… it wasn't for him. It was for his sisters and father, who had already lost too much. Saving him was for Orihime… And Zac was right, soul reapers are only interested in killing hollows, not saving innocents. "I'm always around. Just call for me, and I'll be there." Tatsuki didn't know why she said it, but she meant it. For some reason, she felt a desire to protect Karin, almost as much as Orihime.

"_Taking on another Charge isn't something that should be done lightly." _Custos Fortis told his partner, a little leery about the child.

"_I'm not taking on another Charge, I'm just making sure that this kid knows I'm not letting her get kicked around. Damn it, you don't think that I know making this promise is stupid? But I'm going to keep it. She deserves to have someone keep an eye on her, especially since her so called brother decided that playing with fancy swords are more important that protecting his family." _Tatsuki told her sword harshly, feeling the stress and exhaustion weighing down her shoulders.

"_You thought he was better than that, didn't you?" _Custos Fortis' usual booming voice was quiet now, almost a whisper.

"_Is it wrong that I had hoped my 'friend' wouldn't forget about the people he left behind?" _She stood up, nodding a 'goodbye' to the younger girl. Slowly, Tatsuki ambled toward the front gates, an odd feeling settling over her. She was empty, lost… and there was just nothing inside.

"_Yes, it is wrong." _The wolf finally said, his voice roaring in her ears. Tatsuki hit her knees, slamming both eyes shut as bright colors swam in her vision. _"It's human, and you are not human." _She started panting, out of breath. As sudden as his presence seemed to override her mind, it was gone. Her vision cleared, and she was only left with a slight thumping headache.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Orihime's concerned tone cut through the numbness, and Tatsuki turned her head to face her worried girlfriend. She didn't know what to say… she had to lie, that much was obvious, but it was wrong, right?

"N-nothing." Tatsuki stuttered, getting up on her feet. She wobbled a little bit to the side, but was steadied by her girlfriend, who gave her an unconvinced scowl. Scowls were cute on the orange haired girl's face, but nowhere near as breath taking as a smile. "I'm fine… just hungry." Tatsuki covered, figuring that people get lightheaded when they're hungry anyways.

"Alright…" Tatsuki knew that Orihime didn't buy her lie, and she couldn't find a way to blame the girl. "Let's head over to my house." Orihime happily took Tatsuki's hand, skipping down the street. The warrior laughed, forgetting all her problems. For just one moment, she was human again and everything was perfect. She had the girl of her dreams, and nothing could change it… But that perfect world didn't exist, and Tatsuki hid her frown at the realization that this was a lie. "Come on slow poke, you're taking forEVER!" Orihime giggled, and Tatsuki picked up her pace, wishing to maintain her utopia state of mind.

"So, what do you want to do?" Tatsuki asked, eyeing her girlfriend with a sly smirk when they got inside.

"Hmm…" Orihime put her index finger on her chin, pretending to be thinking of something. "How about you take off that over shirt? That is, unless you're too cold…" Orihime stroked Tatsuki's arm, sending waves of electricity through the warrior.

"Or we could just… do this?" Tatsuki suggested, capturing the girl's lips in a passionate kiss. A light chuckle left the Guardian, and Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Good plan?"

"Very good plan." Orihime giggled, kissing Tatsuki again as she backed the other girl into the couch. "But I've got a better one." She started to peel the button shirt off, reveling in the steely muscles. Orihime trailed her hot kisses down to Tatsuki's collarbone, causing the fighter to get caught off guard. After a few moments, Tatsuki regained enough concentration to snap out of her semi coma state.

"C-cool…" She stuttered, words above a second grade knowledge escaping her grasp.

"Yeah, very cool." Orihime giggled as her teeth grazed Tatsuki's skin, making the warrior stop breathing all together. "You always get so nervous." Orihime murmured, her hand rubbing Tatsuki's abs. "I want to make you… relax." She pulled back, staring Tatsuki straight in the eyes. The Guardian was a little out of it, just nodding and not really hearing her girlfriend. "Good. Now lay down."

"Uh, on the floor?" Tatsuki wondered aloud, giving a 'have you lost your mind' stare.

"How about my bed then?" Orihime offered, grasping a handful of Tatsuki's tank top and pulling the girl into her bedroom. She pushed Tatsuki onto the bed, straddling the girl's lap. "Better?"

"Yup!" Tatsuki's voice was a little higher than normal, and she scooted deeper into the bed.

"Now flip over, and take off that shirt!" Orihime giggled, slipping the shirt off her girlfriend's shoulders and laying her flat on the bed. "Now…" She kissed Tatsuki again. "Flip over."

"What are you—" Her questioning was silenced with a strong kiss, telling her to just shut up and listen for once. "Fine, fine… You win." Tatsuki lay on her stomach, feeling Orihime straddle her hips. "Now w-w-whaaa—" Again, her question was interrupted as she felt tender hands methodically massage her back. She hadn't realized how sensitive she was, and she let out a soft moan, still surprised.

"It would help if you would relax your shoulders… You're so tense." The strawberry blonde chided, happy that her girlfriend didn't freak out. For some reason, unknown to the blonde, her darker haired counterpart always was the first to pull away.

"Most people get a little on edge when a pretty girl in sitting on them." Tatsuki smirked, a groan slipping out when Orihime rubbed a specifically tender spot.

"Oh, I make you flustered?" Orihime whispered, noting the soft whimper she earned when she stroked Tatsuki's lower back muscles that ran right along the spine. It seemed to be a sensitive spot, and she could tell that Tatsuki would tense up real quick before relaxing every time she grazed the area.

"I call you pretty and all you get out of that was you getting me a little… on edge." She laughed, her bedhead hair flopping over her eyes at the awkward position.

"A little? How about you stop with all the little remarks and tell me what's really going on?" Orihime had tried to think up of a tactful way to go about her interrogation, but the direct approach seemed to be the most promising.

"Always to the point, huh?" A weak chuckle escaped the Guardian's throat, and she found herself finding a deep sense of peace.

"You've been acting different ever since I've gotten back. And now you're falling asleep all the time, stumbling around, getting headaches… I'm just worried about you." Orihime sighed, noticing something on Tatsuki's back. "Did you get a tattoo?" There was no response. "Tatsuki?" Still nothing… "Did you… We were in the middle of a conversation." Orihime couldn't stop the giggle that left her lips. It was so Tatsuki to tune out of a conversation to such a degree that she fell asleep. Orihime was tempted to wake the girl up, but catching the peaceful look as Tatsuki's floppy hair swayed due to her breathing, she just didn't have the heart. Her mission had been to relax Tatsuki, and she wasn't going to ruin it now. To top it off, any anger that Orihime should have felt was slowly melted away as she continued to stare at her slumbering girlfriend. "Sleep tight." Orihime whispered, cuddling into her girlfriend for a well deserved nap.

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**This chapter is over 5,000 words long! You all should be proud of me ;) If you liked it, hated it, loved it, disliked it, were bothered and/or disturbed by it, or anything along the lines of the emotion spectum, please leave a REVIEW... or PM me... both are graciously accepted. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.**

**-JZ**


	16. All Goes to Hell

**This chapter is going to be interesting. I can almost garentee that none of you have predicted this. It brings me great pleasure to present to you... the new chapter of 'Forever Your Guardian'... titled as: All Goes to Hell. Truly, in this chapter... haha, i'm not going to tell you. Read and find the hell out! haha. **

**Reviews and PM's... just ask the person who told me to get this chapter on. It took one whole day for me to get this to where i found it acceptable, and uploaded. It does work! haha, Now REVIEW and/or PM!**

**I don't own Bleach.**

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"Why so interested in Soi? I know that I owe you, but…" Yoruichi shook her head, unable to look at her old friend. Zac had saved her life once, taken her in when it would have been just as easy to turn away, but the information he needed was starting to be a bit much.

"I can't let Soul Reapers know that I'm alive." Zac lied, using that as his cover story. "And with all the extra patrols, I've got to watch my tail."

"Soi isn't looking for fugitives or whatever you are… She has orders." Yoruichi told him, sighing before staring straight into his eyes. "We've just started talking again. We're in an okay place right now, but if she found out that I was funneling information about her patrols… Everything would be over." The normally confident and composed princess was frazzled, caught between a shotgun and a grenade; she wasn't sure who was which though.

"Is that kid still helping her?" Zac asked quietly, knowing that his favor was reaching its limit.

"No… just on a couple rounds a week." She was about to continue with her argument, but he stopped her.

"Why are low hollow numbers so bad? Shouldn't we all just be happy?" It was almost a whisper, like he was asking himself the question first.

"You know the Soul Society. Most good things happen as a result of something bad. It's just the way things are." She shrugged, understanding his point of view. It had taken forever for her to even want to find the culprit, opting to just pretend like she was looking. Finally, Soi had told her that if she didn't help, then she better get out of the way.

"I guess we're even now. Thank you." Zac confirmed, turning away from the princess. A bad feeling had been eating him for weeks now. The hollows had been increasingly stronger, and since he told Tatsuki to cut back on patrolling, she'd only been covering the nights. But not only were these hollows stronger, but they're seemed to be twice the average amount for this time of year. He'd been trying to chalk it up to the fact that with more supernatural presences in the human world, hollows had been able to gain easier access. Either way, things were looking grim, especially with how distracted his student has been. "Hey, Yoruichi." The woman turned towards his back, confused by his actions. Usually when Zac ends a meeting, it is over.

"What is it?"

"I hope everything will work out. Goodbye now." He walked off, his usual casual stride disrupted, and tense.

* * *

"Well Tatsuki, I've had an amazing weekend with you." Orihime giggled, hugging onto her girlfriend. After a couple days of rest and relaxation, Tatsuki seemed back to herself. Everything had been perfect, from the dinner date to the movie marathon, and Orihime just couldn't imagine a better way to spend two days.

"Damn, too bad we only had two days." Tatsuki smirked, picking Orihime up with ease and placing her on the bed. "But I do really need to go." She kissed Orihime goodbye, chuckling when the strawberry blonde protested. "If I stay, neither one of us will get any sleep. And we've got school in the morning." When they kissed again, Orihime felt her heart melt, the passion between their touches sending shivers down her core. Her right hand grabbed Tatsuki's shirt, half pulling, half pushing the fighter, reveling in the stillness of the warrior. No matter what the situation, Orihime never felt the fighter's heart even flutter, and she admired her girlfriend's iron nerves. Orihime herself felt her heart explode every time they touched, and it drove her insane to imagine that Tatsuki could actually hear her beating organ. "Bye." Tatsuki disentangled herself from the strong grip and backed away, her eyes never leaving her girlfriend's. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"You better." Orihime mockingly glared, and with that, Tatsuki was gone, disappearing into the black hallway. A moment later and she heard the door open and close softly, since Tatsuki wanted Orihime to go to sleep. "How can you believe that I can fall asleep after that?" Orihime asked nothing, sighing in content at her day.

Tatsuki was walking home, a smirk firmly plastered on her face. It was a perfect night, not too hot and not too cold. There was a soft westerly breeze and low humidity, and even the stars shown brighter. The dark clear sky glimmered, displaying its natural beauty and mocking the world's greatest forms of art. Nothing could replace the breath taking nightly moment, and it quickly burned a memory in the warrior's mind. The perfect date, with the perfect girl, on the most perfect day… how did she get so lucky?

"_Honeymoon's over, now cut out the cheesy romance crap and stay alert." Custos Fortis growled, more on edge than usual. _

"I'm watching out, alright." She huffed back, running a hand through her hair in frustration. He'd been riding her all weekend, but she'd been ignoring him. "Something's off…" She whispered, continuing her casual stroll up her porch and unlocking the door.

"_I can feel it too… What the hell is it? It's on the edge of my radar… Damn it." He hissed, the uneasy feeling increasing tenfold. _

Closing the door behind her, Tatsuki calmly walked to her kitchen and opened the fridge. Everything seemed normal… but her instincts were screaming at her to do something. Survival instincts are one natural thing that you don't want to fuck with. There was a squeak down the hall, coming from behind her parent's bedroom door. It was a small, near silent sound. Phasing, just to be prepared, she silently stalked through her own house. It came again, except this time it was more of a muffled shuffle. She was right outside the door now, and she held her breath. It wasn't just her imagination… something else was panting on the other side of the one and a quarter inch thick wooden door. Placing one hand on the knob, she steadied herself for whatever she might find.

A heavy weight slammed her forward into the door, sending wooden splinters spraying everywhere. She'd crashed to the ground, leaving the remaining portion of the door hanging on one hinge. The thing that slammed into her was gurgling and making a hiss, squealing sound. A huge claw tore through her left sleeve, shredding her shirt and skin. Now the beast was regaining its own composure after the collision. It was four feet tall, about five feet long, and was build like a bull in tiger form. Long sharp teeth jutted out from its jaw, unable to fit properly because of their size. The creature's claws were at least six inches long, and were thick and jagged. The eyes and half of the snout were covered with a skeleton mask. The monster outweighed her twenty to one, tearing up the hardwood floor as it stood back up on all four feet. Tatsuki was dazed, gazing at her surroundings as she tried to determine what just happened. There was another one of the monsters on Tatsuki's parent's bed, its claws were tangled in the sheets. As soon as the Guardian was thrust through the door, the beast on the bed let out a squealish howl, pouncing on the downed warrior.

Tatsuki was only able to hold a block with her sword, stuck in a stalemate with the overweight puppy hollow's teeth snapping through her sword, the beast not caring if the blade's fine edge sliced its jaw. She held it, slipping up when sharp fangs attached itself to her shin. The second monster was fastened to her leg, and was shaking its head from side to side like a crocodile does to prey. A strangled shout escaped the fighter, pain shooting up her body. Another shake of the monster's head yanked her two feet across the room, giving her a more difficult angle to hold the first beast off. Pain was beginning to blind her, and white started to outline her vision.

"_Focus…" Custos Fortis warned his partner, his own voice strained from pain._

Taking his advice, she took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Taking her left boot, she slammed it into the top of the hollow's mask repeatedly, each hit harder than the one prior. As she was loosening the hollow's jaw, she was also simultaneously pushing upward at the first monster. Using all her strength, she held the block in place with one arm, using the other to pound at the monster's snout. Blood began to splat, whether it was from the dog hollow or her busting knuckles, she didn't know. The grips slackened as one of the beasts began to whimper. Using that as a cue, she slid up to her feet, swinging Custos Fortis in one fluid motion, slicing the ankle biter. The first hit didn't kill it, surprising the Guardian. The snarling increased as Tatsuki was being backed down the hallway and into the kitchen, both creatures' stalking towards her. They reminded her of pictures of rabid wolves, except ugly and far more vicious. They continued to hunt towards her, matching her step by step. One of them could no longer contain itself and lunged at her, forcing her to dodge, listening to it crash into the counter and stove behind her. Spices and sprays went everywhere, coating everything. The second hollow took the distraction as an opportunity to pounce and it managed to swipe its claws down the back of her shoulder as she rolled to avoid it.

She was bleeding profusely now, scooting backwards across the floor as the hollow still on the stove made a motion to leap. As soon as it did, its back paw tore the stove controls, setting the gas powered appliance into a burst of flames. The explosion knocked both the creatures down, and the fire spread throughout the house insanely fast. Black smoke bubbled up from the chemicals and oils, turning the house into an instant firestone oven. The heat was unbearable, and Tatsuki couldn't stand due to her leg. The brute that had started the fire had fled the house, its thin fur being burned to a crisp. However, the other one was regaining its traction, sprinting at Tatsuki with impressive speed. Mouth wide, giving the injured Guardian a full view of its teeth, the hollow jumped at her for a kill strike. Using Custos Fortis, she shoved the blade down the creature's throat, howling in agony when the teeth carved nice shreds into her arm.

"Hey, hey! Tatsuki! You in here?" Zac shouted from the front door, being pushed back when the smoke bellowed out the door. He saw his student less than five feet from the door, pulling her arm out of the mouth of… of… something. "Shit, what the hell? This is not keeping a low profile." He rushed in, picking her and her sword up, hurrying out of the house before fire trucks or ambulances could arrive. They made it to his hotel room in less than a few minutes, and Zac was out of breath. "Fuck… what happened?"

"I… I don't know…" Tatsuki hissed, her wounds burning. "I came home a—and… aw shit!" She howled, pulling her hair with her good hand, wishing to distract herself from the agony.

"Just hold still." He got a clean rag and started to wipe the dirt and charred blackness away. Zac cut her pant leg at the knee, clearing the shredded material from his workspace. He could see the bone, and huge gaping holes had ripped through muscles and veins. Grabbing some hydrogen-peroxide, he all but dumped half the bottle on her leg. White bubbles surfaced immediately, along with the sizzling sound and a sharp yep. He wrapped her entire shin, knowing that she'd bleed through the gauze in less than ten minutes.

"How… how is it?" She choked, biting back excruciating torment as he repeated the process on her arm. He had to wrap her hand, arm and part of her elbow up before he covered all the teeth marks.

"I've seen worse." He reassured weakly, not liking what he had to say.

"Did they live?" She halfheartedly joked, knowing that she'd have to flip over to her back so he could reach her shoulder. He was silent for a second, pausing as if debating whether to answer that or not. Instead, he decided to stay on the task at hand. Tatsuki attempted to turn over, but bit her hand to stifle the scream bubbling up her throat. Zac grimaced, pulling her up will she still had a firm bite of her good hand. She continued to release muffled moans, but he could now access her shoulder.

"I need to cut your shirt off." He did and hid a grimace at the clean white shoulder blade bone that seemed to glisten in the poorly lit room. "This will sting."

"Like I don't fucking hurt enou—FUCK!" He dumped the last of the bottle on the large would, wiping away blood as it flowed. All the pain and traumatic alterations to her body caused the wounded warrior to get sick, throwing up blood and food mixed. He repeated his wrapping process, using the sixth roll, and gathered all the bloody rags to throw away.

"Get some sleep." He muttered, a pit of guilt ebbing away at him. He should have been there… he should have been aware that Tatsuki was in danger. The kid didn't need to be told twice, already falling under before he told her to. In all respect, he wasn't one hundred percent positive that Tatsuki would wake up… he hoped, but he couldn't be sure.

Tatsuki was unconscious for hours, the night slowly escaping and daybreak began to invade the stars. Zac had not waited patiently, busying himself with packing up belongings, changing her gauze, and even slipping out to check out to see if the firefighters were making any headway on extinguishing the inferno. He couldn't wrap his head around the monster he had seen inside the house, the size and ferocity of it was bewildering. Things like that can't just hide unnoticed, someone somewhere must have been alerted by the creature. That also brought him to his next mystery: how did that monster know who and where Tatsuki was? The amateur Guardian had always, always been careful to cover her presence, never once letting it slip. So how could that bloodhound find her house? There were too many questions, with not enough answers.

"You look like hell." Tatsuki husked out, her voice dry and weary.

"Look who's talking?" He huffed back, sitting at the table with his hands hugging a mug.

"I didn't think you drank coffee." She tried to sit up, but started to pant from the effort. Her face was contorted in a painful expression, which she hid terribly.

"I don't. It's whiskey." He stated bluntly, raising the mug as if that would magically print 'whiskey' on his plain white cup. "What the hell was that thing?" He didn't have time to bullshit around. Something bad was going down, and they were in the middle without any information.

"I don't know. I could sense something when I got to my house, but… it's like I could barely even feel it. One of them was in my parent's bedroom, and when I went to investigate, I got jumped by another one. The only reason I wasn't dog food was because one of those things got too excited at the prospect of eating me for dinner that it set the house on fire." She was left breathless, and tiredness engulfed her. She didn't know why she was so weak, as if she hadn't just slept more than twice as much as a normal night.

"There were two? Were they hollows?" Tatsuki was nodding off, but she gave him a soft 'I think so' before slipping back into blackness. Zac clenched his hands into fists, furious that his student had just been hunted down like by the hollow equivalent to a bloodhound. He knew what had to happen, but they couldn't even think about moving until Tatsuki was able to stand. He felt ill just envisioning the wounds, their depth and damage ripping muscle to pieces like it was soft bread. The white bone glittering softly, mocking the severity of the damage with its pearly purity. He filled his empty mug to the brim, gulping it down greedily.

* * *

"Tatsuki… where are you?" Orihime was anxiously waiting at her door, tapping her foot impatiently. It wasn't like her girlfriend to be late, only occurring once in a great while. However, Orihime continued to linger until she noticed that she was going to be late to school. Tatsuki would never have her be late, and that was the first indication that something was wrong. Orihime texted and called Tatsuki several times, only to be greeted with silence. Just as she had given up and started her lonely trek towards the school, she heard someone running behind her.

"Orihime! Wait up!" It was Ichigo, full out sprinting towards her. The strawberry blonde halted her steps, and her heart sank. She knew something was wrong, she knew it the moment she woke up but she refused to believe it, until now. "I-I-I… th-there w-w-wa-was a—"

"Ichigo, breathe." Orihime told the boy, putting her hand on his shoulder to help ease him to the porch steps. After they sat down, Ichigo put his head in his hands, not even able to look his orange haired friend in the eyes. He was wracked with guilt, his eyes portraying what his words couldn't. "What's wrong?" Her worried tone was firm, desperate to know why Ichigo was acting so strange.

"I didn't… I'm so sorry." For some reason, he needed her to hear that first. Before he told her how everything had changed, how nothing could ever go back to the way it was.

"It's okay… it's okay…" Orihime hugged him, never having seen him so lost and shaken up. After all the hell they'd just gone through, this was a new fear, something she'd never seen from him.

"No it's not. Tatsuki… she… there was… I don't know how to even say it." He whispered, chancing a sideways glance at the girl. Orihime's blood froze, her heart felt as though it stopped beating all together.

"What's wrong with Tatsuki? Tell me." Fear and concern turned her words cold, snapping at him. "I'm sorry, but I need to know." She was gripping his arm now, holding onto whatever reality she could.

"There was a fire…" He sounded miserable, like he was going to be sick. "I didn't know it was her place. People started coming into my dad's clinic last night. But I never saw her. I didn't even know that it was near her house until I recognized one of her neighbors. And when I got there…" He was fighting tears, knowing that he should not be the one crying. "There was nothing left. The fire spread so fast, it caught at least four other houses. The firefighters are still trying to put it out."

"Where's Tatsuki?" Orihime's voice was shaky, not having expected that. Sure she didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't a fire.

"The firefighters haven't been able to get close to what's left. The whole block is shut down." Orihime shot up from her seat, unable to absorb what he was saying. She ran, faster than she ever thought she could, faster than she had ever needed to go. Ichigo was hot on her heels, calling out for her to stop. He managed to catch up just as she turned the corner, slipping under the 'caution' tape that marked off the block. She gasped, freezing in her tracks at the scene before her. Fire trucks, people, lights, water… it was all too real. As the firefighters' were trying to extinguish the flames from two other houses that were roaring, Orihime couldn't understand why they weren't working on the house in the middle. The house that was collapsed and charred, once housing an entire family was now decimated by tragic events. She felt Ichigo grab her wrist, pulling her into his chest. She began to sob, quietly at first, not finding him nearly as comforting as Tatsuki, but eventually loud desperate weeping took hold of her frame.

"No, no, no, no, no… no…" Orihime whispered as tears streaked down her face. Ichigo hugged her tighter, shushing her.

"I'm so sorry. Let's not stay here." He felt her faint nod, and he started to walk them both back to her house. When they reached the modest little home, Ichigo made sure that he had Orihime rest. As he waited in the living room, he couldn't believe how everything happened so fast. One moment, he was sleeping soundly and the next… his father was shouting in his room, saying that there are too many people downstairs to handle on his own. Sure it wasn't the first time Ichigo had helped with his dad's clinic, but it was the most difficult. People crying, clutching onto burned remains of their lives, injuries that would never go away… it all seemed like a blur.

"You shouldn't leave the windows unlocked." Captain Soi Fon told him standing in front of him with a huge smirk. He glared at her, hating everything that had tore him away from his oldest friend. "What's got you so pissy?"

"My oldest friend just died hating me!" He whisper shouted, it being the first time that he'd stated the words that he knew to be true. A firefighter told him that with the speed of the fire, it would have been impossible for her to escape the house in time. Soi Fon frowned, sitting down on a wooden chair.

"Tatsuki Arisawa, right?" She asked, only to be confirmed with a nod. "I know… I already checked out her house."

"What? Why?" He hissed, hating the stealth fighter's paranoia.

"Because a hollow was there. Granted that it was dead, but the residue was still there. At least, I believe it was a hollow… there was something off about its presence." Captain Soi Fon had ignored Ichigo's shocked face, continuing on with her findings. "Was anyone dispatched to the house?"

"N-no… why would a hollow be there?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd worked so hard to prevent his friend from knowing, so hard to protect her.

"Well, she had a strong spiritual pressure. At least, when I first heard about her, she did." Soi knew that Ichigo hadn't heard about what happened, so she also knew that he wasn't going to react well. "It wasn't the first time a hollow had attacked your friend. A while back, one even killed her parents."

"No!" He shouted, forgetting about Orihime sleeping in the bedroom. "That's a lie. It was a robbery." He hissed, rage flooding his veins.

"Really? So that's why Arisawa hates you?" Soi mocked, finding his denial boring.

"If she knew, than why didn't she say anything?" He challenged, not liking how much sense it made.

"I don't know." Soi Fon growled, growing increasingly impatient with his stupidity.

"How'd you know? Why didn't you tell me?" He glared defiantly at her, wanting nothing more than to punch something.

"Because the Commander ordered that we ignore protective detail in light of fighting a war." She said in an icy tone, displaying no emotion. "We don't have time to babysit all your friends. There are more important tasks at hand."

"You knew? And you didn't say anything?" He roared, standing up and clenching his fists.

"Calm down." Soi ordered, not even flinching. "It's not my job to inform you on every little detail." Standing and making her way back towards the window, Soi Fon opted to tell him one thing before leaving. "You want to know some details? Your friend was a person of interest about the hollow disappearances."

"Leave." Ichigo's voice was barely contained, seething with hate and rage. Soi was already out the window before he could sit back down.

"She knew?" Orihime asked him, standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"I don't know…" He answered quietly, staring at his hands.

* * *

"We're leaving as soon as you can stand." Zac stated, handing the injured Guardian a plate of food.

"Where?" Tatsuki took the plate, extremely hungry.

"America, England, maybe Scotland… I'm not sure yet." He ate his own meal at the table, glancing at the daily newspaper.

"What? We can't leave." Tatsuki protested, not realizing that he meant so far away. "I have obligations here, responsibilities."

"Not anymore." He showed her an article inside the newspaper. 'TEEN KILLED IN FIRE' was one of the main stories, taking up a whole page. "I'm kinda disappointed. I always thought that you deserved a front page story."

"They think I died?" She was befuddled, though it should have been obvious.

"Well your house is… gone, for lack of better term. So yeah, it was pretty safe to say that no human could have survived it." He chuckled, shaking his head as he started reading the article.

"I can't be dead." She breathed out, no longer hungry.

"You do remember that you've been dead for over a month, right? The papers just finally caught up with you." He said absentmindedly, not looking up from his reading.

"I'm not leaving. I have people to protect here." She told him, causing him to quirk an eyebrow and stare her straight in the eyes.

"Someone is gunning for you. They managed to slip in two hollows under your radar." He was about to continue with his evidence, but she cut him off.

"I know. I was caught by surprise. But if they want me dead, I'm not going to be running away hoping that I 'live' another day. I thought Guardians protected people? I thought that's what separated us from the soul reapers? Or did you forget that?" Tatsuki challenged him, holding his gaze. They were locked in a staring battle, of which neither was backing down from.

"Alright, but if we're going to do this, some rules need to be made." His voice was slow and deliberate, every syllable thought out and planned. "Fighting comes first. You are dead, now start acting like it. We protect people, but that doesn't mean that they need to know it. Also, we aren't going to be playing in the sand anymore. There will be fights that we may not be able to win, but you better pray that we don't lose."

"How long until I'm back on my feet?" She asked him, still unable to move due to her extreme agony.

"You better hope less than two days." He smirked, and was answered with a questioning eyebrow. "Cuz I'm pretty sure that things never stay quiet that long."

"_Will you fight with me?" Tatsuki asked her sword, receiving no answer. "I'm sorry, I know I've been a jerk. I owe you my life, and I will be honored if you would help me."_

"_Don't suck up, it's unbecoming of a Guardian." Custos Fortis huffed, tone indifferent. "So we're going to be getting in deep, huh?"_

"_Yeah, seems like it." She confirmed, happy that he answered her._

"_Good, now the fun begins."_

* * *

**Well Custos Fortis seems to be happy, finally getting some good action. I know, this chapter was intense, haha... don't wet your sheets ;P So I hope everyone enjoyed it. The more REVIEWS and PM's that I recieve, the quicker an update will be done. Tell me what i've done right, wrong, yadayada... I'm a big kid, i can handle it ;)**

**Thanks for reading, and please REVIEW and/or PM? **

**-JZ**

**P.S.- For those who are interested, if you really enjoy this story, I've already got an idea about how it all goes down... trust me, i don't think it'll disappoint anyone. But, if you all truly enjoy this, i was thinking of making a sequel. I know this may seem early, but with the longer chapters, it may creep up in fiveish chapters... Crazy I know, this has been a wild ride. I just wanted to give you all some insight on my plans.**


	17. Death Didn't Bring Me Heaven

**Thank you to all those who have submitted a REVIEW or PM... Sadly I haven't gotten nearly as many as I had hoped for. For some reason, I am now starting to obsessively check these chapters before I post them. And it's not only for this story, but all my works. I haven't been able to be completely satisfied, mainly because I'm not sure if they are good enough.**

**You can help solve this disasterous problem by simply doing one, or two things.**

**1) Leave a REVIEW.**

**2) Shoot me a PM. **

**I know that some people are skeptical about the magic of PMing, but it actually works... and so does REVIEWing. **

**On a lighter note... Thank you to everyone for your support and dedication to this story. I'm satisfied with how everything is turning out. It's thanks to all of you who read this that this has even gotten this far. Congrats! **

**I don't own Bleach**

**-JZ**

* * *

"My funeral is in a couple days, right?" Tatsuki asked, limping to the table. Zac glanced up from the documents he was reading, nodding before returning to his work. "I'm not allowed to go, am I?"

"I'm not your keeper." Zac's tone was rough, and he took a drink from his mug before pushing the papers away from him. Massaging his temples, he finally took a good look at his student. "But no, I don't think it is a good idea."

"Do you know where it is?" Tatsuki sat across from him, tapping her good hand on the table.

"Yes, I believe you will be buried next to your parents." He smirked, finding it ironic. "Personally, I always preferred somewhere with a view… but I guess it really isn't my choice."

"Yeah… right…" The fighter was quiet, a strange silence strangling the atmosphere. Tatsuki played with the wrap on her arm, twiddling it between her index finger and thumb absentmindedly.

"What?" Zac grumbled, becoming impatient. It was obvious that Tatsuki had something to say, but for the life of him he didn't understand why she didn't just spit it out.

"If she knows that I'm alive… will the hollows target her as well?" It almost wasn't even a question, like Tatsuki really just wanted him to deny it and reassure her that everything would be okay. Rage flared up inside of her, she had never been one to need reassurance, or coddling… she didn't need anyone's help. So why was she sounding so pathetic and lost?

"Don't be an idiot. You already know that answer. Stop taking orders from me and start doing something about the situation." Zac shook his head in mild disgust, finding it irritating that he had to play babysitter. "Get drunk, wander around until you find yourself, hell… get angry, pissed even. Do whatever you need to, to get ready. I don't care what the hell you do, but you need to do it soon."

"So I can leave?" It almost confused the fighter; Zac always acted like he had better things to do, yet he saved her ass several times.

"I told you before, I'm not your keeper." Tatsuki nodded, standing up and staggering to the window. She was already phased, and when she began waltzing down the street, it was just odd. No one glanced at her, not even one interested glimpse. She was dead, and getting used to it was harder than it sounded.

Most people would have expected her to go to her house, to reconcile those memories and let them rest in peace. However, she had nothing in that house that she needed, nor wanted. Photos of a family that were estrange to her, even under the same roof. She wasn't angry that the walls had burned, forever erasing the bloodstains that would never truly disappear, even after vicious efforts with bleach. The blatant fact was that building held no more significance to Tatsuki as a rock on the side of the road.

Nope, instead Tatsuki slowly ambled towards the Inoue residence. She was hesitant, knowing that whatever she'd see wouldn't be easy. The fighter almost felt like she'd arrived too soon, as if her hobbling hadn't taken enough time out of the trek. Knowing that she couldn't just walk right in the front door, Tatsuki softly snuck around the back. She looked through a window, recalling a time when she told Orihime to put a curtain there because just anyone could look in on her. She was suddenly grateful that the strawberry blonde just brushed it off with a giggle. Biting back a growl, Tatsuki hated what she saw before her. Orihime was sitting next to Rukia, sobbing into the shorter girl's shoulder, tears running down her face. Rukia was also crying, though not as animatedly, as if she didn't want her friend to know of the hot tears rolling down her pale skin. Tatsuki concentrated on their words, needing to know what was being said between them.

"I know, I know…" Rukia soothed, rubbing the healer's back. Orihime just continued to sob, squeezing her friend tighter. "Shh, everything will be okay."

"H-How c-can you sa-say that?" Orihime hiccupped/ stuttered, pulling back to stare into the soul reapers eyes, waiting for an answer.

"Because I know you're strong." Rukia assured the girl, hoping that everything could truly become alright.

"Soi, how could she? I know it is her job, but how could she keep that from us?" Orihime almost sounded… angry? Tatsuki focused, needing to catch every verbal cue she could.

"Captain Soi Fon is very secretive, she does run the Stealth Force." Rukia was equally frustrated with her superior, but they were in no position to start fights now.

"She accused… her of being the one to kill the hollows. And she even said that they weren't going to spare people to protect her. How couldn't they? Tatsuki was supposed to be protected by staying out of all this." Orihime argued, but her anger quickly fell into desperate sobs again. The girl hurt just to say her dead girlfriend's name. "I just miss her so much."

"I know, I miss her too." Rukia smiled a little, remembering one of the many lunches in which they shared with their friend. "She was always so protective of her friends. I was glad that she saw me as a friend."

"Do you know the worst part?" Orihime gave a bitter breathless laugh, staring down at her hands. Rukia just cocked her head to the side, not sure if she should answer. "I still feel her. There is a part in me that's telling me she's still out there." The raven haired soul reaper softened, noticing the first signs of denial. Tatsuki stood frozen in her spot, as if gorilla glue just cemented her in place. A swirl of emotions attacked the Guardian, all of them screaming for the spotlight. They were confusing, painful, even nauseating… but there was one constant, one feeling that screeched out above all the rest.

Rage… it boiled inside of her, yet made her body ice cold. It wasn't the uncontrollable type, which does more harm than anything. No, this was organized, managed, and able to be directed towards one goal at a time. This rage had to be restrained, or it would blow up and shatter everything nearby. All the pathetic lost, confused, needing direction emotions disintegrated, completely overpowered by the rage. That's why Zac had wanted her to find something to move forward with. It was needed to focus, concentrate on delicate tasks. She found her direction: revenge. She needed to satisfy her rage, feed the beast that had become ravenous within her.

"_Have you found what you were looking for?" _Custos Fortis' voice floated into her mind, waiting for her response. It was no surprise that Tatsuki's lost mind had been distracting her partner as well, but now he felt clarity. His partner wanted blood for the sins that had transpired, and frankly, he did too.

"_Most definitely." _She confirmed, turning away from the window. She should have felt guilty for peeping on her girlfriend, sickened by the shambles she left her friends in, but all that surfaced was rage. She was ready to fight, to kill, and she now had more information to give Zac. Her steps back to the hotel were more determined, purposeful. And when she jumped through the window, she felt her strength returning.

"Ah, I see you're back in one piece." He said from the stove, placing a large pot of macaroni and cheese on the table.

"Did you rob some college student's flat or something?" She muttered sarcastically, sitting at the table.

"Yup, I took these and the hoard of roman noodles he was hiding too." Zac quipped back, a little relieved to see a fire back in Tatsuki. "Do you want any?" He asked, holding out a bowl.

"No, I come back here because I enjoy the crappy architecture and cheap ass lighting." She rolled her eyes, snatching the bowl and filling it up. She was starved, and it seemed like she couldn't gulp down the food fast enough.

"How was your walk?" He questioned, a little cautiously.

"I found out some info that might interest you." She said as she swallowed a large mouthful of cheesy deliciousness. "Turns out that this "Soi" chick was pretty suspicious about me being their wrongdoer. I was officially a "person of interest" during their investigation. Also, they've removed the protective detailing on the high risk people."

"That doesn't make sense." Zac pondered, not understanding why Yoruichi had lied to him. Perhaps she'd been giving Soi information on him…

"Sure it does, they've been too busy in their own affairs to give a rat's ass about the human world." Tatsuki growled, shoveling another spoonful of noodles into her mouth.

"No, not that. My source, she didn't tell me anything about that. She mentioned no suspects. That just doesn't seem right." He ran a hand through his hair, still not having touched his food.

"I don't think Soi told anyone. At least not Orihime or Rukia." Zac nodded, not liking the solution, but accepting it anyways. How much more information was useless?

"I wonder how she even managed to come up with you as a suspect though. Unless you did something reckless and stupid, I don't see how she could have had even a hint of your involvement." Zac said pointedly, waiting for Tatsuki to spill her guts. Oddly enough, the warrior just shrugged, slurping down the remnants of the noodles.

"First things first, we need to find that other hollow. Are you sure you didn't sense another hollow when you came?" Tatsuki wondered, having been bothered by the technicality.

"There was nothing except the one that you had killed. If I had seen another one, I'd have tracked it down and ripped its throat out ages ago." He grumbled, becoming equally worried by that fact.

"We can't sense them very well, that's obvious." She stated, rummaging her head for anything that could be of use. "Why wasn't there just one, then? It had the drop on me, so why not just send one? Anyone that does assassinations for a career path would never be so sloppy."

"So you were someone's lab rat?" Zac mulled it over, but it made just as much sense as anything else they've come up with. "The increase in hollow activity… The greater strength that they're coming with… And the fact that the soul reapers are more concerned about whose taking them out than the hollows themselves…"

"Alright, now you lost me." Tatsuki rolled her eyes at Zac, finding his incomplete sentences annoying. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you thought the Soul Society was producing these things." Tatsuki let out a light chuckle, shaking her head at the idea.

"They sent a Captain, and not just any captain but the captain of the Second Division, Stealth Force, and the best tracker in the Soul Society… just to find the person that has been killing the hollows." He simplified it, not liking how things were adding up. "I didn't even think that they were that stupid."

"Why make hollows? Or whatever it is that they're doing?" The young fighter stood up, hobbling towards the window.

"They could be trying to exterminate us… Drawing us out, hunting us down… if they found out that there were still a few remaining Guardians, I can't be sure that they wouldn't go to these lengths to kill us." Zac shrugged softly, sighing as he saw Tatsuki place a shaky hand on the wall beside the fragile window.

"This is so stupid." She growled, hesitantly patting the wall with a vibrating fist. "Why all the tricks? If they wanted a fight, then I say let's give 'em one."

"Yeah, except we don't know who we're fighting." Zac reminded her, carelessly leaning against the kitchen counter. "The soul society doesn't exactly put their plans in the local newspaper. They're secretive, even among themselves. Odds are, only this Captain Soi Fon knows the actual orders, and we don't know who gave her them. This could go deeper than we think…" He said slowly, taking in his own words. "Or it could be a total bust and this was a completely random attack that just so happened to nearly kill one of the few remaining Guardians in existence… Either way." He shrugged nonchalantly, smirking at Tatsuki's eye roll.

"Great time for sarcasm, really." She quipped, releasing her ball up fist that was dangerously close to smashing through the wall. "But thanks, I kinda needed the laugh."

"I know… anger isn't the easiest thing to control, but whatever works." He grabs a mug from the counter, before heading towards the door. "Rest up, looks like we've got a lot on our hands so we need you back at full strength."

"Going to pay your friend a visit?" She wondered, sitting on the bed with a thump. He shook his head, not answering. "When are we going to pay Captain Soi Fon a visit?" Tatsuki asked him, yawning. "Come on, don't treat me like an idiot. I know that we're going to have to question this chick if we want answers, I just want to know when we're going to do this."

"Fair enough, it'll be when you wake up." Zac stopped at the door, not turning around. "This isn't going to be a long battle… but it will be an important one. As I said before, there aren't many of us left and we can't afford to lose anymore."

"Way to go all Obi Won Can Obi on me." Zac just gave her a confused expression, but she laughed it off. "Sorry, I guess you don't watch many movies."

"I know who you're talking about, I just don't see why after I said something so intense, you felt it was your job to turn it into a joke. I swear, no one takes anything seriously anymore." He huffed, mocking irritation.

"Whatever Yoda, don't get your robe in a twist."

* * *

"What aren't you telling me?" Ichigo demanded, glaring at the woman in front of him. He had his arms crossed, and his robe was swaying from the spiritual pressure he was emitting.

"Shouldn't you be consoling your friend?" Soi Fon asked, her tone emotionless and dead.

"She can hardly look at me right now." Ichigo hissed, his temper boiling over. "Now tell me what you are hiding, or I'll—"

"You'll what? Face it, you couldn't do anything even if you wanted to." Soi fired back, anger leaking into her stoic bravado. "You should just be grateful that the Soul Society doesn't kill you for being such a risk."

"I spent hours showing you around this place. Days helping you hunt whatever the hell we're looking for. And I've been slaying hollows for the Soul Society for years. Don't tell me that I should be 'grateful' when it's been me that's been saving your guys' ass!" He shouted, barely blocking a swift punch from the lightning fast Captain.

"Know your place." She roared, kicking him with her left foot in his chest before he could react.

"Soi, is that really necessary?" A familiar voice questioned, making the small captain freeze.

"He needs to learn some respect. I'm tired of having to deal with his whiney ass deman—"

"But why keep secrets from him?" Yoruichi wondered, helping Ichigo up.

"This is an important mission, and he would have been in the way." Soi reigned in her emotions, cursing the other woman for catching her in such an uncontrolled state.

"Why don't you start being straight with us." Yoruichi suggested, walking up to her friend with hopeful eyes.

"I can't do that. I'm under specific orders to not allow anyone else to know of our objective here." Soi reverted back to her emotionless tone, refusing to break the stare down that was going on between her and her old mentor.

"Orders from who?" Ichigo shouted, earning himself a stern glare from Yoruichi.

"I'm sorry about your friend, but shut the hell up and move on. The world doesn't stop for one death." Soi growled, turning around and flash stepping away without so much as a glance back.

* * *

"Did you feel that?" Tatsuki shot up from the bed, wincing as pain rocketed through her body.

"_Yes, it was that Soul Reaper you spared." _Custos Fortis acknowledged, his senses peaking to ultimate alertness. _"That kid doesn't handle his spiritual pressure very well."_

"Not just that… There's… something. I don't know what it is, but there is this burning in my chest. Fuck, it's like I'm on fire. Damn it…" She hissed, bolting from the bed and out the window.

"_Where are we going?"_ Custos Fortis demanded, the strange suffocating feeling was distracting him as well.

"It reminds me of the time when Orihime was in danger… I have to make sure she's okay." As soon as Tatsuki turned in the direction of Orihime's house, the burning increased, bringing the Guardian to her knees. "W-what… Why is i-it not…" She couldn't even finish her sentence, being too tormented to stand back up. Taking deep breaths, trying to ease the agony, Tatsuki felt a pull tugging her away from the Inoue house.

"_You aren't the only one in this fucking haze. Just find whatever the fuck is doing this… NOW!" _Custos Fortis roared, his pain amplifying his voice, causing it to ricochet off Tatsuki's mind like a shotgun slug off metal. Tatsuki listened to him, finding that the pain decreased the moment she changed direction. On her feet now, she charged towards the pull, completely disregarding her previous injuries. They were nearly healed now… The process having sped up remarkably after she ate some food. As she drew closer to the epicenter of her pain, she finally was able to sense the unchecked spiritual pressure that she'd become accustom to.

"Karin…" Tatsuki growled, frustrated that Ichigo was nowhere in sight. "Why the hell is she at the soccer field alone?" Tatsuki fumed, seeing the girl kicking a ball at the goal. There was no one at the park, it was entirely empty, besides Karin, and that was strange. Normally people would be crawling all over the place, playing Frisbee, walking their dog, riding bikes around the path in the park. As if on cue, Tatsuki felt another familiar, yet chilling, presence. "It's that hollow thing."

"_And it's heading straight for that girl." _Custos Fortis told her, feeling the hollow traveling parallel to them, targeting the defenseless girl in the soccer field.

"We have to cut it off." In a flash, Tatsuki was on a path to intercept with the creature. As she continued, it remained on course, as if her existence didn't bother it. Just as she brushed passed a tree, she was sidelined by the hollow. It bowled straight into her side, knocking her down in a heap. It stood up, shaking its snout, slobber projecting in all directions. "Not too smart are ya, Doggie?" She murmured, her fingers brushing the hilt to her sword. It watched intently, tensing its muscles as her fingers ghosted over the handle of her blade.

"_It's smarter than it looks. It's waiting for you to draw… This might be a set up." _She peeled her sword out in a blink, but the beast had already launched itself at her, sending both of them hurdling into a tree. The thick trunk cracked under the pressure, and the tree fell to the forest floor. Tatsuki jumped to her feet, deflecting a slash from a massive paw, the claws clinking as they hit her sword.

* * *

"That's Tatsuki…" Zac muttered to himself, sensing his fellow Guardian spike her strength. He just watched Soi Fon take off in the direction of the fight. "Damn, she must be able to feel it too… but how?" He huffed, taking off in a full sprint after the Captain. He couldn't let her reach Tatsuki before the fighter took care of the hollow. He kicked it in gear when they were only a couple miles from the fight. He managed to make a sloppy jab at the retreating Soul Reaper, who managed to dodge it with ease.

"You didn't honestly think that that was going to work, did you?" Her voice was cocky, daring him to try again.

"What can I say, I'm not really that great at the whole chasing thing. But if you stick around, I promise it'll be worth your while." He taunted, feeling his adrenaline flow as he circled the captain, ensuring that he positioned himself between her and Tatsuki.

"You're pretty insistent about keeping me from that fight." Soi growled, readying herself for a fight. "I find this annoying."

"Yeah well, I just hope I don't rip you apart too quickly. Wouldn't want the fun to end too soon, would we?" He continued his heckling, laughing when he saw her eyes flare. "Careful with that temper Soi, it might not be as beneficial as you would like to think."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She snarled, her patience wearing through.

"Someone who's hardest task in this battle is going to be not killing you." He jeered, and just as he expected, the captain flash stepped and tried to kick him, which was far too predictable. He easily countered, placing a jab with the hilt of his sword straight in her stomach, knocking her back a few feet. She hissed, rage pouring into her eyes.

* * *

Tatsuki fought off the giant hollow as it snapped its insane jaws at her legs. The fight had begun at least an hour before, and the animal was beginning to drag its feet. Obviously it was made for speed, not endurance. Of course, a good assassin doesn't need to be able to fight forever as long as it can get an effective ambush on its target. Lifting the blade high in the air, she swung it with effortless skill, slicing the beast's jaw in half, detaching the top jaw from the rest of the body. It let out a gurgled howl, before it slowly disintegrated.

"Good riddance." She mumbled, huffing as she sheathed her sword. The fight had caused a lot of damage to the environment, but luckily the rumbling and crashing had made Karin leave. The promise she made the girl began to ring in her ears, but she didn't regret it. Nothing that she had done thus far, she could ever feel remorse for. Sure she didn't want to have to leave Orihime, but it was obvious that it was necessary.

"_Zac is fighting not too far off… it's with that Soi character too."_ Custos Fortis informed her, his own panting beginning to subside.

"He was probably trying to keep that chick from catching me. I owe him one, I guess." Tatsuki muttered, taking one last look at the devastation before high tailing it back to the hotel.

* * *

"Done yet, Captain?" He shouted, standing a good football field length from the Soul Reaper. The woman was panting, and she wiped the blood and dust from her eyes with her arm.

"You bastard!" She howled, but before she close the distance, he had already managed to slip behind her, striking her back in just the right spot. She fell unconscious, and he caught her before she hit the floor.

"You're lucky, because this 'bastard' doesn't want to start a war… or destroy a friend's happiness." He grumbled, setting the unconscious woman down on the ground softly, knowing that people would be showing up shortly. He was glad that the fight Tatsuki was in seemed to have ended, and he could feel her retreat to their hotel room. The battle had gone on longer than he had hoped for, thus meaning only one thing…

They needed to eat some food.

* * *

**I know... a lot of scene changes towards the end there. Haha, well that was the Chapter update for you all. I think this turned out well... to be honest, I was going to end at around 2,000 words, but since so many of you enjoy the longer chapters... I forced myself to continue... Yup, I did all that just for the benefit of my readers.**

**Why? You may ask... Well, it's because-**

**I'm not going to tell you. Not becuase I can't or becuase I don't want to... but it's simply because I don't want to. (If you understood that, cheers to you. If you didn't, then I doubt you caught the two spelling mistakes in that sentence either)**

**Leave a REVIEW and/or PM on your way to the rest of the sight. Have a nice day/night (whenever the hell you're reading these). **

**-JZ**


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